Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Opening a Template.

Opening a Template

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 22, 2026)

Templates are used to define how a document and the Word interface should look. To open a template file, follow these steps:

Click the Office button and then click Open (Word 2007) or click the File tab and then click Open (Word 2010 and later versions). Word displays the Open dialog box.
At the bottom of the dialog box, just above the Open button, is a drop-down list where you can specify the type of files you want Word to list. Use the drop-down list to select either Word Templates or Word Macro-Enabled Templates, depending on which type you want to open.
Using the controls in the dialog box, browse through directories and disk drives until the desired template files are listed.
Select the desired document template.
Click the Open button.

You can now make changes in the template, just as you would in any other document. When you save the changes, they are available the next time you create a document based on the template.

I should also note that you cannot open a template simply by double-clicking on it within Windows. If you do that, then Word opens a blank document based upon that template. Double-clicking does not open the template itself, but instead creates a new document based on the template.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10196) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Opening a Template.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Inserting a Document's Location

Once you save a document on disk, it is stored in a particular folder (or location) on that disk. You may want that ...

Discover More

Printing Row Numbers

On-screen Excel displays row numbers that help you easily see what is in each row. If you want to print these row ...

Discover More

Spell Check Misses Misspelled Words

If you do a spelling check and notice that Word doesn't catch a word that you know is misspelled, it is easy to get ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Creating a Document Based on a Template

Double-click a Word template file in Windows, and Word should create a brand new document based on that template. If this ...

Discover More

What Changes Did I Make In that Template?

When you make changes that affect a template, Word usually asks you if you want to save those changes when you exit the ...

Discover More

Determining the Template Attached to a Document

If you've opened a document in Word, that document has a template attached to it. This tip looks at what those templates ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 1 - 0?

2026-07-22 10:38:43

beepee

I am using Windows 11 and Office/Word 2021
In step 1 of this Tip I have to click File>Open>Browse to get to the Open dialog box. From there the remaining steps work fine.

2022-09-12 09:08:16

Mechie

If you know where the templates folder is and have access to it AND you are someone who prefers to work through Windows File Explorer... You can OPEN the template by right clicking on it and bringing up the context menu. Typically, NEW will be in bold which represents the default action for a double click on the file name. As was noted, a double click will generate a New document based on the template. However, the right click context menu also provides an 'Open' option. Click on Open and the template itself will actually be opened. Side note - If the template properties have been set to Read Only, then you will be prompted to save the template with a new file name. Assuming the intent is that you want to edit the existing template, then simply make sure to remove the Read Only setting before opening the file. Reapply Read Only after saving if appropriate. (see Figure 1 below)

Figure 1. Right Click Context Menu (inside File Explorer)

2022-09-10 23:52:58

Sheila

Step 3
Scroll through?
No luck
Eventually found in C Users AppData (Hidden File) Roaming Microsoft Templates

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.