Word 2016 hangs when opening a document based on a template

Thank you, Yves!

This allows me to work-around the issue.

I had to go to File -> Options -> Customize Ribbon, then select 'Developer' on the right hand side to show the Developer tab first before I could use your advice, but that's worked great now that I've done that.

Such a frustrating issue, though and still outstanding in Windows 10 build 1511 10586.1106 and Office 2016 MSO version 16.0.4549.1000 32-bit.

In your OneDrive Application => settings => untick

• Use Office to Sync Files
• Use Office 2016 to sync files that I open

The Templates and Add-Ins dialog box lets you do the following:

• Load a template into memory so that its building blocks, key assignments and macros are available to all documents. Such a template is often referred to as a Startup add-in (or global template).
• Change which template is attached to the current document.

There is an important distinction between these two actions. Normally, you want specific templates to be loaded as add-ins (and you do that by putting these templates in Word's Startup folder). Most templates should be attached to specific documents.

Documents that do not need a specific template should have the Normal template attached to them.

Sorry but there is 8 pages to read through.  I too have had this issue and have been able to work around that is a bit annoying.  Under file -> options -> add-ins you find the manage dropdown below.  Selecting templates and go opens up the Templates and Add-ins.  In this window you should see your templates in the bottom section.  Mine are usually unchecked each initial time I open Word.  By checking the template you intend to use with opening the word document, the document does not hang up when opening.  So long as you don't close down all instances of Word it maintains the template location and opens any document using that template with no issues. 

The problem seems to be, in my experience, that word tries to open the template/dotx used each time you open a docx file that it created from but can not find it.  This seems to happen only on the machine that the docx was created on because anyone that I send the file to can open is up with no issue. 

I've tried to relocate the folder that word should look for templates but with no better results.

You should save .dotx files in the User Templates folder at:

C:\Users[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates

and then use File>New to select the template as the basis of the document that you want to create.  To make that process more simple, add the New Document or Template command to the Quick Access Toolbar as using that command will take you straight to the templates dialog.