Using Templates

In case you need to format an entire document a certain way, you may want to use templates instead. Templates act like preformatted documents. Word comes with several templates, but Microsoft offers several through its Web site as well.

Creating a new document from a template

The easiest time to use a template is before you have typed any text. To create a new document from a template, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and then choose New. A New Document window appears and then click one of the following in the left pane of the New Document window:

   Installed Templates:Displays templates installed on your computer.
   
   Any category under the Microsoft Office Online heading, such as Contract or Forms.

   The New Document window displays a list of available templates so you can see how they format text. If you do not choose a template, Word chooses the Normal template by default.
   Templates let you create a new document based on the formatting of an existing file.
2. Click a template and then click Create or Download. Word creates a blank document with text to show you how the formatting looks.
3. Type new text and use the Style icons to apply the predefined formatting from your template to your text.

Creating a document based on an existing document

If you already have a document that is formatted perfectly, you may want to use that document as a template for creating a new document. This essentially copies an existing document, including all its text and formatting, and creates a new document for you to edit and save under a new name. To create a new document based on an existing one, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and then choose New. A New Document window appears and then click the Featuring pane in the Installed Templates list.
2. Click New from Existing Document. The New from Existing Document dialog box appears and then click the file that contains the formatting you want to duplicate in a new document.
3. Click Create New. Word displays a copy of the file you chose.
4. Save this document under a new name and edit the current text.