Save Your Own Documents as Templates

You probably have documents you already use as unofficial templates. Instead of searching for these documents every time you want to reuse them, just add them to the New dialog box. (Note that in Microsoft Access, you cannot save a document as a template because there is no template format.)

Open your document, and then click Save As (File menu). Select Document Template in the Save as type list. This changes the folder you save in to the Templates folder. If you save your template in the Templates folder, it will appear on the General tab in the New dialog box. To have your template appear on another tab, (for example, the Memos tab), select the appropriate folder and save your template in that folder. For information on creating your own tab, see “Create Your Own Tab in the New Dialog Box,” later in this topic.

Add templates to the New dialog box from Windows Explorer   When the New dialog box is open, switch to Windows Explorer, select any documents that you want to use as templates, and then drag these documents into the New dialog box. Any time you double-click an icon in the New dialog box, you create a new document based on the original. See different tabs in the New dialog box?   When you start a new document by clicking New Office Document on the Windows Start menu, tabs containing templates and wizards for Office applications appear. When you click New (File menu) in one of the Office applications, only tabs containing templates for that application appear.

Create Your Own Tab in the New Dialog Box

When you save your document as a template, you can create a new folder, such as My Stuff, in the Templates folder. In the Save As dialog box (File menu), click the Create New Folder button, and then save your template in that folder. When you click New, your tab will appear in the New dialog box.

Too many tabs?   If you create more folders than can be displayed as tabs in the New dialog box, a More tab appears, listing additional folders.

Office Assistant button

Want to know more?   Look up Getting Results - About Documents and Databases in Help.