Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. 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: Creating a Boilerplate Document.

Creating a Boilerplate Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 24, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019


In Word, a template (at its simplest) is a guide for how a document should appear. You can use templates to store boilerplate documents, such as forms or contracts. When you open a new document based on the template, all the boilerplate information is in place and ready to use. To create a boilerplate document, do the following:

  1. Create a new document that is based on the template you want used as the basis for your boilerplate template.
  2. Press F12. Word displays the Save As dialog box.
  3. In the Save as Type pull-down list, choose Word Template or, if your template will contain macros, Word Macro-Enabled Template. This ensures your document is saved as a template.
  4. Enter a new name for your template and select where it should be saved.
  5. Click on Save.
  6. Make your changes to the template, making sure to enter any boilerplate text desired.
  7. Save your work before closing the template file.

That's it; you've now created your template. When you want to use it, simply create your new document based on this template you just created. Your new document will contain all the boilerplate text you entered in step 6.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11699) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Creating a Boilerplate Document.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Setting Vertical Alignment

Excel allows you to adjust not only the horizontal alignment of values in a cell, but also the vertical alignment. This ...

Discover More

Setting a Default for the Object Browser

Does it bother you that when you press Ctrl+Page Up or Ctrl+Page Down you aren't always taken to the top of the previous ...

Discover More

Adding Column Headings to a Table of Contents

Word makes it easy to create a Table of Contents. If you want column headings in that table, getting them takes a bit of ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step 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

Listing the Settings in a Template

Templates allow you to define and collect many formatting settings that control how your documents appear. Getting a ...

Discover More

Changing the Attached Template

Templates, when attached to a document, can greatly affect how that document looks. You can change from one template to ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is 5 - 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.