Getting to normal (in Microsoft Word, at least)

Everyone has their preferred default formats when working in Microsoft Word. However, many people don’t know how to program the default Word formatting settings, which means they have to make adjustments to every document they write.

A more efficient method? Adjust Normal.dot.

What is Normal.dot?

When you open Microsoft Word, it automatically references this file. It contains the default font, size, page settings, color ….etc. You can customize the default formatting settings for your Word document through this file.

How can I access it?

This varies depending on which version of Windows you’re using. The easiest way is to search for it using Windows Explorer. Once you find the file, just right click the file and select “Open Containing Folder” and it should open a new window with the folder that contains the Normal.dot.

How do I edit Normal.dot?

The file extension (.dot) is the Word Template. All you have to do is double click on the file and Word will open it. You can modify the file to customize the default Word document; change fonts, size of the font, color, page settings, and other configurations. You can also create other Templates and save them as (xxx.dot) but you should save them in the same folder where Normal.dot lives. You can call these Templates from with Word itself.

Can Normal.dot cause problems?

DEFINITELY! As with any other Word files, Normal.dot can get corrupted, causing a lot of headache.

One of the strangest problems I’ve seen is the Word File Menu disappearing! You open a Word document and you can’t save, save as, print, open, open new, nothing! The whole File menu doesn’t show up.

What do you do if your Normal.dot file is corrupted?

Solution: Close Word, delete the “Normal.dot” file or remove it out of the folder, reopen Word and it will create a new Normal.dot file and everything is restored to the original default settings.

If you’re having trouble with Word, a corrupt Normal.dot file is one possibility you shouldn’t ignore. It’s a simple solution that could save you a lot of time troubleshooting: just Close Word, Delete/Remove Normal.dot, and Open Word.

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