How to change a date on a calendar template in Word

Cherie Mock 20 Reputation points
2026-08-25T20:32:33.83+00:00

I used to be able to easily change month or year dates on calendar templates but now I am unable to. Has that option been removed? If so, is it possible to get it back? That was a very helpful template, easily used without having to do too much manual work.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For business | Windows
Answer accepted by question author
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-08-26T01:27:19.5866667+00:00

Here is some more information and background.

Microsoft used to have macro-enabled templates that let you set the year or month and have the dates adjust. The information for templates still refers to the Calendar tab. It has vanished, though. They have stopped offering those, perhaps because people were afraid of the macros.

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Per Bob Jones a while back , apparently, in the Mac interface, the template named "Calendar" also still contains the macros and the Calendar tab as in the description. @Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP

If you have used a macro-enabled template from Microsoft in the past for this, it should still be on your computer in the folder you have designated as the default location for saving custom office templates.

When you use one of the templates from Microsoft, it is stored there.

I expect that sometime in January Microsoft will come out with 2027 calendars. This is based on experience since they discontinued the macro-enabled calendar templates.

There are good free alternatives available.

You can use the free calendar add-in from former Word MVP Greg Maxey that you can download from here: https://gregmaxey.com/wonrd_tip_pages/calendar_maker_addin.html This has several choices of formats.

You can also find free 2026 calendars on MVP Jay Freedman's download site. (https://jay-freedman.info/) These are simple macro-free templates.

You can find a free perpetual calendar maker add-in on MVP Graham Mayor's site. This allows a choice of background colors.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-25T20:33:58.7266667+00:00

    Yes. In current Word calendar templates, that easy month/year change option has effectively been removed from many templates.

    What changed:

    • Older Word calendar templates used macro-enabled templates that could adjust the month and year automatically.
    • Many newer templates are .dotx templates, which cannot contain macros.
    • Because of that, the old Calendar ribbon/tab or automatic date-changing behavior is no longer available in those templates.

    What this means:

    • If the template is one of the newer non-macro Word templates, the month/year option cannot be restored inside that template.
    • Enabling macros does not help if the file is .dotx, because that format cannot contain macros.

    Ways to get similar functionality back:

    1. Check whether an older macro-enabled template was used before.
      • If an older Microsoft calendar template was used in the past, it may still exist in the Custom Office Templates folder.
      • If that older template is a macro-enabled template, it may still provide the calendar controls.
    2. Use a different Office app for template-based calendars.
      • Excel calendar templates are still available through File > New, then search for calendar.
      • Those templates are designed to update automatically through formulas, but manually changing date cells can break that automatic updating.
    3. Create a new calendar in Publisher if that app is available.
      • Publisher calendars support setting calendar dates when creating the calendar by using Set Calendar Dates.
      • For built-in Publisher calendar templates, dates can also be changed later through Page Design > Change Template > Set Calendar Dates.
      • Note: Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026.

    If the goal is specifically Word, the practical answer is that the old built-in automatic year/month switching is no longer available in many current Word templates, and it is only possible to get it back by using an older macro-enabled template that was previously saved locally.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Ryan-N 15,645 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-25T20:50:33.3833333+00:00

    Hi Cherie,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    According to my testing environment at this time, the Calendar Template in Word still supports changing the month and year information.

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    Please try the following steps and check whether the issue persists:

    1. Please check whether you can change this information when using the Word web version.
    2. Try signing out of Word, then signing back in, and check whether the issue still occurs.
    3. Please perform an Online Repair for Word:

    Step 1: Completely close Word.

    Step 2: Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings.

    Step 3: Go to Apps > Installed apps > locate Microsoft Office.

    Step 4: Click the ... menu > Modify > Online Repair.

    Additionally, you may want to consider using Calendar Templates in Excel. Excel provides a variety of calendar templates that allow you to customize the month, year, and related information more flexibly.

     I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.   

    Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

    I look forward to continuing the conversation.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

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