Word 2010 and Template Locations

Anonymous

Word 2003 by default saved any document I designated as a template (*.dot) in a predetermined location set up in Location of Files. I have noted that Word 2010 also saves user templates to a location in Location of Files (oddly it is in a folder called "roaming." something I usually assocate with my cell phone rather than my computer). However, notwithstanding this setting Word 2010 saves my templates wherever it chooses. I noticed this after creating a template and then immediately trying to use it--and it wasn't "there." That is, it did not show up in File/New/Templates. Gone! That is, gone until I ran a search for it and found it. This time I found it in the folder I was working in when I decided to create the new template. Am I missing something here? Is the Location of Files setting subject to other unknown (at least to me) conditions? There may be fine reasons to choose to store templates in a location different from the setting but since they won't be accessible in the usual way (File/New/Templates etc.) it would probably be a very unique reason. I lost another template or two previously but I figured it was my own fault for not saving them correcty--until they showed up in the same search!

Joe McGuire

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Charles Kenyon 171K Volunteer Moderator

I agree with you that having to activate the Developer Tab is a pain as is the routine hiding of both system files and filename extensions.

As to the new form fields, I have mixed feelings. The Add-In from Greg Maxey at Add Classic FormField Controls to Ribbon certainly helps. It essentially gives you the old Forms toolbar in a Ribbon group including the lock toggle.

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K MVP Volunteer Moderator

The difference is that Word no longer defaults to the user templates folder when you save a template. This is touted as a benefit, though I don't really see how it is. If you want the template to appear in the New dialog (assuming you've figured out how to even make that appear), you do have to save it in the default template location. There's some info about this at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924460, but it probably won't tell you more than you have already discovered.

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Charles Kenyon 171K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2017-04-05T03:04:46+00:00

I'm a small business owner (and sometime "power user") who is interested both from the point of view of my business and the multiple community groups I'm associated with.

My primary "skin in the game" is wanting to store my templates in a folder that is NOT 5 or 6 levels deep but rather somewhere 2nd level in my primary work folder THAT IS EASY TO BACK UP. (Which in my case is c:<storename>\templates - the c:<storename> directory is the primary thing I back up along with my e-mail and personal files)

Having lost my 2 primary drives (due to data spikes from a failing motherboard) within 2 weeks of each other back in 2010 I tend to be somewhat paranoid about such things. Yes I know how to modify normal.dot (the blank default page you get when opening a new Word document) and the Excel equivalent and have no problem with it being hidden deep but my work letterhead needs to be as accessible as possible both for everyday use and ease of backup.

Accessing the Word and Excel file locations setup is one of the most "user hostile" aspects of what is on the whole a reasonable program.

You can modify these settings relatively easily. They are under Word Options.

Also look into Workgroup Templates.
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Anonymous

2017-04-04T18:00:33+00:00

I'm a small business owner (and sometime "power user") who is interested both from the point of view of my business and the multiple community groups I'm associated with.

My primary "skin in the game" is wanting to store my templates in a folder that is NOT 5 or 6 levels deep but rather somewhere 2nd level in my primary work folder THAT IS EASY TO BACK UP. (Which in my case is c:<storename>\templates - the c:<storename> directory is the primary thing I back up along with my e-mail and personal files)

Having lost my 2 primary drives (due to data spikes from a failing motherboard) within 2 weeks of each other back in 2010 I tend to be somewhat paranoid about such things. Yes I know how to modify normal.dot (the blank default page you get when opening a new Word document) and the Excel equivalent and have no problem with it being hidden deep but my work letterhead needs to be as accessible as possible both for everyday use and ease of backup.

Accessing the Word and Excel file locations setup is one of the most "user hostile" aspects of what is on the whole a reasonable program.
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Charles Kenyon 171K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2017-04-04T14:51:22+00:00

MS: Tell us what we can do to improve the article

Me: Add the clause: "We realise it seems utterly insane that templates aren't automatically saved to the templates folder, and you're probably wondering why we've made it as hard as possible for you to find the template folder yourself unless you immediately associate the word 'template' with 'roaming', but in fact this is a brilliant idea because… [I have no idea how this sentence ends]"

I suspect, but do not know, that the reason they separated the two was in response to requests from corporate purchasers (i.e. big customers) that they make access to the normal template harder. They wanted it to be easier to use custom templates while still harder to mess with the normal template.

The User Templates folder has always been moderately hidden.
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