Skip to main content

Explore the new, free version of Kutools for Outlook today!

How to apply a Word template to an existing Word document?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2025-04-07

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:

  1. Open the Word document to which you want to apply the template. Click "File" > "Options" to open the Word Options dialog box.
  2. In the Word Options dialog box:
    1. Click "Add-ins" in the left sidebar.
    2. Select "Templates" from the "Manage" drop-down list.
    3. Click the "Go" button.
      Select Templates from Word Options
  3. In the Templates and Add-ins dialog box:
    1. Check the "Automatically update document styles" option.
    2. Click the "Attach" button.
      Templates and Add-ins dialog box
  4. In the Attach Template dialog box:
    1. Open the folder where your personal template is saved.
    2. Select the desired template file.
    3. Click "Open".
      Attach Template window

      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.

  5. When returned to the Templates and Add-ins dialog box, click "OK". The specified template will now be applied to your Word document.
    The specified Word template is applied to the existing Word document
  6. 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.

    Illustration to restore the default template

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!

Browse multiple word documents in one window just like in Chrome

Best Office Productivity Tools

Kutools for Word - Elevate Your Word Experience with Over 100 Remarkable Features!

🤖 Kutools AI Features: AI Assistant / Real-Time Assistant / Super Polish (Preserve Format) / Super Translate (Preserve Format) / AI Redaction / AI Proofread...

📘 Document Mastery: Split Pages / Merge Documents / Export Selection in Various Formats (PDF/TXT/DOC/HTML...) / Batch Convert to PDF...

✏ Contents Editing: Batch Find and Replace across Multiple Files / Resize All Pictures / Transpose Table Rows and Columns / Convert Table to Text...

🧹 Effortless Clean: Sweap away Extra Spaces / Section Breaks / Text Boxes / Hyperlinks / For more removing tools, head to the Remove group...

➕ Creative Inserts: Insert Thousand Separators / Check Boxes / Radio Buttons / QR Code / Barcode / Multiple Pictures / Discover more in the Insert group...

🔍 Precision Selections: Pinpoint Specific Pages / Tables / Shapes / Heading Paragraphs / Enhance navigation with more Select features...

⭐ Star Enhancements: Navigate to Any Location / Auto-Insert Repetitive Text / Toggle Between Document Windows / 11 Conversion Tools...

🌍 Supports 40+ Languages: Use Kutools in your preferred language – supports English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, and 40+ others!

Kutools and Kutools Plus tabs on the Word Ribbon
👉 Want to try these features? Download Kutools for Word now! 🚀
 

Best Office Productivity Tools

Kutools for Word - 100+ Tools for Word

Free Download Buy Now Learn More about Kutools