How to apply a Word template to an existing Word document?
Applying a template to a new Word document is quite simple. However, updating or changing the template of an existing Word document can be more complex. The method below will help you apply or change a Word template in an existing document with ease.
Apply a Word template to an existing Word document
Apply a Word template to an existing Word document
Follow the steps below to apply or change a Word template in an existing document:
- Open the Word document to which you want to apply the template. Click "File" > "Options" to open the Word Options dialog box.
- In the Word Options dialog box:
- Click "Add-ins" in the left sidebar.
- Select "Templates" from the "Manage" drop-down list.
- Click the "Go" button.
- In the Templates and Add-ins dialog box:
- Check the "Automatically update document styles" option.
- Click the "Attach" button.
- In the Attach Template dialog box:
- Open the folder where your personal template is saved.
- Select the desired template file.
- Click "Open".
Note: If you saved your template in the default Custom Office Templates folder, you can quickly access it with the path %username%\Documents\Custom Office Templates.
- When returned to the Templates and Add-ins dialog box, click "OK". The specified template will now be applied to your Word document.
- To remove a personal template and restore the default Word template, repeat the steps above and choose the default template file instead.
Note: The default template folder path is C:\Users\your_user_name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.
Tabbed Browsing & Editing for Multiple Word Documents, Just Like in Chrome and Edge!
Just like browsing multiple webpages in Chrome, Safari and Edge, Office Tab lets you open and manage multiple Word documents in a single window. Switching between documents is now simple with a click on their tabs!
Try Office Tab for free now!
Best Office Productivity Tools
Kutools for Word - Elevate Your Word Experience with Over 100 Remarkable Features!
๐ค Kutools AI Features: AI Assistant / Real-Time Assistant / Super Polish (Preserve Format) / Super Translate (Preserve Format) / AI Redaction / AI Proofread...
๐ Document Mastery: Split Pages / Merge Documents / Export Selection in Various Formats (PDF/TXT/DOC/HTML...) / Batch Convert to PDF...
โ Contents Editing: Batch Find and Replace across Multiple Files / Resize All Pictures / Transpose Table Rows and Columns / Convert Table to Text...
๐งน Effortless Clean: Sweap away Extra Spaces / Section Breaks / Text Boxes / Hyperlinks / For more removing tools, head to the Remove group...
โ Creative Inserts: Insert Thousand Separators / Check Boxes / Radio Buttons / QR Code / Barcode / Multiple Pictures / Discover more in the Insert group...
๐ Precision Selections: Pinpoint Specific Pages / Tables / Shapes / Heading Paragraphs / Enhance navigation with more Select features...
โญ Star Enhancements: Navigate to Any Location / Auto-Insert Repetitive Text / Toggle Between Document Windows / 11 Conversion Tools...
๐ Supports 40+ Languages: Use Kutools in your preferred language โ supports English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, and 40+ others!

Best Office Productivity Tools
Kutools for Word - 100+ Tools for Word
- ๐ค Kutools AI Features: AI Assistant / Real-Time Assistant / Super Polish / Super Translate / AI Redaction / AI Proofread
- ๐ Document Mastery: Split Pages / Merge Documents / Batch Convert to PDF
- โ Contents Editing: Batch Find and Replace / Resize All Pictures
- ๐งน Effortless Clean: Remove Extra Spaces / Remove Section Breaks
- โ Creative Inserts: Insert Thousand Separators / Insert Check Boxes / Create QR Codes
- ๐ Supports 40+ Languages: Kutools speaks your language โ 40+ languages supported!