What is a template?

In the most general sense, a template is a pattern or model on which something else is based. It might be a shape that you trace around or an outline of suggested content. In Word, however, the word template has a specific technical sense; it is a particular kind of file, with a different file extension from a document (.dot, .dotx, or .dotm instead of .doc or .docx).

Templates in Word are generally stored in a different location from documents, and you will rarely open one directly after creating it. Instead, you will use it as the basis for creating new documents.

Word comes with a number of built-in templates, but you may be unaware of them if you have never visited the dialog where they live. What you get when you press Ctrl+N to create a new document in any version is a Blank Document based on the default template, which is called Normal (Normal.dotm in Word 2007, Normal.dot in previous versions), but Word also offers templates expressly designed for specific types of documents: letters, reports, fax cover sheets, and the like. These are accessed as follows:

• Word 2000 and earlier: Select New… on the File menu. This opens the New dialog (see figure below).
• Word 2002 and 2003: Select New… on the File menu. This opens the New Document task pane, where you can either select a recently used template or click on “General Templates” (Word 2002) or “On my computer…” (Word 2003) to open the Templates dialog (which is just the New dialog with a different name).
• Word 2007: Click the Office Button and select New. This opens the New Document dialog, which initially displays “Blank and recent” templates—that is, the Blank Document and any other templates you have used recently. The Recently Used Templates pane will be empty until you have used other templates, which you can find under Installed Templates (the ones that ship with Word) or My templates… (the ones you have created).

Many, many more templates are available for download from the Office Template Gallery, which can be accessed directly from Word 2002 and above:

• Word 2002: In the New Document task pane, click  “Templates on Microsoft.com.”
• Word 2003: In the New Document task pane, click on “Templates on Office Online.”
• Word 2007: In the New Document dialog, click on Microsoft Office Online.

What a template is not

Although many of the templates you can download from Microsoft Office Online contain sample content, a template is not really about content but about structure and layout. A template is designed to provide specific page layout (page size and orientation, margins, number of columns, and so on), and styles for the types of paragraphs most likely to be used in the given type of document.  It may also contain tools to facilitate using the included styles and other features

In Word 2007 and 2010, these tools may include Building Blocks and a customized Quick Access Toolbar and/or Ribbon. In Word 2003 and earlier, they may also include custom menus and toolbars. In all versions, they may include macros, keyboard shortcuts, and AutoText entries.

Some templates do contain boilerplate content: a template for a letter, for example, will perhaps have a letterhead on the first page, page numbering, and perhaps an automatic date field. In addition to custom styles for the parts of a letter (Inside Address, Reference Line, Salutation, Body Text, Complimentary Close, Signature, Copy List, and so on), it may have dummy paragraphs or text entry fields indicating where these parts go.

In general, however, the content of a document is up to the writer. Users often ask for “templates” for very specific content, such as a letter protesting an unfair dismissal or a letter to customers of a business thanking them for their patronage. You may actually find such samples among those available in the Template Gallery at Microsoft Office Online. Viewed from a layout perspective, however, such letters are just letters. They can be created using a generic letter template or from scratch, assuming the writer knows how to write a letter. What the user is really looking for is a model or sample document that would provide suggested wording for such a letter. That is not what a “template” is in Word.

On the other hand, users’ needs are sometimes are more related to layout: “a Request for Proposal template to hire a building designer for a residence” or “a restaurant evaluation sheet template” or “a flyer template for an AA – Al-Anon Event.” In such cases, finding a readymade template is unlikely, though it may be possible to find a generic template that can be adapted. In the last analysis, however, the user is still looking for a model or sample rather than a template—just something to copy or build on; even a sample document would suffice.