Font keeps changing back to Calibri?

Thanks, your method worked.

What this thread demonstrates most clearly is this: In the nearly eight years since the original question was first posed, and Microsoft has introduced yet more "features" to Word that befuddle, frustrate, and alienate users, Word is not improving. Some basic functions of a word processing program, like setting a desired font or line spacing, should be exceedingly simple, yet Word's designers have a peculiar talent (maybe affinity?) for making even these basics so bewildering that users have to search on the web for a kind and informed person who can explain how to coerce Word into doing what they want it to do. Thank you, Stefan Blom, for patiently continuing to offer your advice.

Surprises are sometimes nice, like on birthdays, or in the form of a bonus check, or a telephone call out of the blue from an old friend. Somehow Microsoft thought it would be a good idea to build surprises into Word so that it does things you would never expect. Even seasoned users (I'm in the 20 years and counting group) still encounter them daily. On the positive side, each provides an opportunity to learn yet another workaround for Word's propensity to do what it pleases. Also on the positive side, you can simply click 'Undo' to wipe away that latest surprise and try again ... and again ... and again.* On the negative side, it takes you an hour to complete that 30 minute project.

It is clear from reading this thread that the majority of the Word users represented here are like me, using Word not because we chooseto, but because we **must.**We have tasted (or, at least, imagined there must be) something better, but because we are subjects of the Kingdom of Microsoft Office, where conformity is valued more highly than productivity, we simply resign ourselves to its intrinsic mediocrity. I wish Microsoft would simply scrap this program, buy out WordPerfect, and make it part of Office instead. Then the corporate world, subjects of the King, could see what a capable word processor looks like. It isn't likely to happen, but I can dream, can't I?

*Word would have failed long ago without 'Undo.' It is likely one of the most used features. I have thought about asking them to rename it to 'Undo latest surprise,' but Microsoft doesn't listen to users anyway, and even if they did, probably wouldn't be amused by my sarcasm.

Note that if setting the defaults in a dialog box doesn't work, the underlying issue is almost certainly a poorly designed add-in. That problem must be dealt with separately. As a workaround, you can open your template as a document and change the settings in the template. 

If you have a suggestion for improving the user interface for changing the default, you can post in the Uservoice forum at http://word.uservoice.com.

I have been having the same horrifying time as you have, alsdx.  Even after reading Stefan Blom's reply, I was still having trouble.  

That is because, while still following Blom's instructions, I hadn't gone to the Set Default's tab, wherein I was able to set the font and size.   I had always looked past this tab.

THEN by clicking the "New documents based on this template" button was I able to save the new template.  Now it works, with each new page coming up with the font and spacing that I want.  

Thanks for your question, and thanks to Blom for putting me on the correct path.  This problem has plagued me for years.  Now it's fixed.