Office 2008 Default issue

[stoutdog101]

Hey all,

I am trying to change the defaults for Word 2008, so I don't have to edit this each time I sit down to write. Here's what I want to change:

1) Font - Times New Roman
2) Spacing - Single, 0pt spacing after paragraph.

I go to Format>Style>Normal>Modify>Paragraph/Font>make changes>Apply.

However, when I close the document and open a new one, the defaults are reset! What am I doing wrong?

Thanks.

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

1. Open ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/My Templates.

2. Open Normal.dotm

3. Make the changes that you want.

4. Save and close the Normal template.

 

[chscag]

Hey all,

I am trying to change the defaults for Word 2008, so I don't have to edit this each time I sit down to write. Here's what I want to change:

1) Font - Times New Roman
2) Spacing - Single, 0pt spacing after paragraph.

I go to Format>Style>Normal>Modify>Paragraph/Font>make changes>Apply.

However, when I close the document and open a new one, the defaults are reset! What am I doing wrong?

Thanks.

In order to change the defaults of a document created from a blank document, you need to change the "normal template" which word uses. Since you wish to change several defaults at once, the easiest method is to open the "normal template", make the changes, save it, close the file and it will become the default. Here's how:

Navigate to: /Users/your user name/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/Normal.dotm

Double click the "Normal.dotm" file and it will open with Word 2008. Make any and all changes you wish. Save the changes and close the file. (Be sure to save it as normal.dotm.) Quit Word 2008.

Restart Word 2008 and the defaults you saved should be displayed automatically each and every time you create a new document. Note, however, documents you created previous to making the changes to normal.dotm will not be effected.

Regards.

 

[stoutdog101]

Hrm... Thanks for the advice, both of y'all, but that doesn't seem to fix the problem.

When I open normal.dotm, the file opens as "Document 1." I make the edits, but, when I try to save the file, it won't allow me to save it over normal.dotm because it is currently in use. I have even tried saving it as normal1.dotm, quitting Word, and changing the name to normal.dotm - that only makes it say that there is no template available....

Edit: After much haggling, I finally got it to work.

Steps
- Open New Document
- Make Changes
- "Save" > drop down menu, select .dotm (automatically saves to My Templates)
- Save as "Normal.dotm"
- Quit Word
- In Finder>User>Library>Application Support>Microsoft>Office>User Templates, delete original "Normal.dotm"
- Drag new "Normal.dotm" from My Templates to User Templates
- Open Word, fixed!