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Office 2010: Fix Word Not Saving Default Settings

In a previous article, I wrote about how to change the default font and document settings in Word 2010.  I recently ran into a frustrating problem on a computer where even though I was saving the settings as default like shown in the mentioned article, when I would close Word and then re-open, the old default setting still remained.

Every new document that you create in Word is actually based off of a generic template referred to as the Normal template.  Each time a new default font or other document setting is changed for all documents, you are really editing the Normal template in Word.  I found that sometimes old or corrupt copies of the Normal template may remain and cause the problem of not saving new default settings for documents.

After some searching, along with a little trial and error, I was able to resolve the problem as outlined below.

Before starting, make sure that Word and any other Microsoft Office programs are closed.

Step 1: Start by navigating to C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.

You will see a couple of folders along with a file named Normal.  Make a copy of any Normal or NormalOld files in-case something goes wrong.

Step 2: Select and delete the Normal (and NormalOld files if they exist).

Step 3: Open Word and you will see that the default font and document settings have returned to their default settings.  In deleting the Normal template and opening Word, a new Normal template is created and saved to the Templates folder.

Step 4: Use our guide to changing the default font and other document settings.

When you close and re-open Word your new default settings now save and are applied to any new documents.

Have any other tips for using Microsoft Office?  Share them with us by commenting below!

Have any other tips for using Microsoft Office?  Share them with us by commenting below!
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How To Change Default Font and Document Settings In Microsoft Word

The release of Microsoft Office 2007 brought some major changes to the popular office suite.  Many did not care for these changes at first, but users soon started to enjoy the newest features of Word, Excel, and other Office 2007 programs.

One feature in Office 2007 still seen in Office 2010 is a change in the default font from Times New Roman at Size 12 to Calibri at Size 11.  While the new font may be an improvement, many users have been frustrated if their documents must by typed in a particular font and they are constantly needing to change from the current default.

In this guide I am going to show you how to set some of the default document settings in Microsoft Office Word 2007 and 2010.

Setting the Default Font

Step 1: Start Word.

Step 2: Click the small arrow at the corner of the Font section of the Home ribbon to open the Font dialog box.  You can also right-click the document and select Font… from the menu.

Step 3: Set the font and font size you wish to have as the new default settings and click Set As Default in the bottom corner of the window.

Step 4: Confirm that you wish to make the changes to All documents based on the Normal template and click OK.

Step 5: Close and re-open Word and your new default font is set.

Setting the Default Indents and Spacing

Step 1: Start Word.

Step 2: Click the small arrow at the corner of the Paragraph section of the Home ribbon to open the Paragraph dialog box.  You can also right-click the document and select Paragraph… from the menu.

Step 3: Select the alignment, indentation, and line spacing you wish to have as the new default settings and click Set As Default at the bottom of the window.

Step 4: Confirm that you wish to make the changes to All documents based on the Normal template and click OK.

Step 5: Close and re-open Word and your new default alignment, indentation, and line spacing settings are set.

Setting the Default Margins

Step 1: Start Word.

Step 2: Select the Page Layout ribbon and click the small arrow at the corner of the Page Setup section to open the Page Setup dialog box.

Step 3: Select the margin, orientation, and paper settings that you wish to have as the new default settings and click Set As Default at the bottom of the window.

Step 4: Confirm that you wish to make the changes to all documents based on the NORMAL template by clicking Yes.

Step 5: Close and re-open Word and your new default margins, orientation, and paper settings are set.

Have any other tips for using Microsoft Office?  Share them with us by commenting below!

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How To Change The Default File Opening and Saving Location For Microsoft Office

If you’re a big Word and Excel user, you may open and save several documents in a day.  Word and Excel are set by default to save in your My Documents folder on Windows XP or Documents library on Windows Vista/7.  This default location is OK if you’re a home user but may not be ideal if you’re in a work environment where mapped drives and other network shares are common.

In this guide I will show you how to change the default file opening and saving location for two common Microsoft Office programs, Word and Excel.

Microsoft Word

Step one: Open Word and navigate to the Microsoft Office Button (or simply the File menu if you’re using Office 2010) and click Word Options.

Step two: In the new window, click Save on the left side.

Step three: Click Browse next to the Default File Location box and select the folder that you wish to be the new default opening and saving location and click OK when finished.  You can also type the path to the directory if you wish.

Microsoft Excel

Step one: Open Excel and navigate to the Microsoft Office Button (or simply the File menu if you’re using Office 2010) and click Excel Options.

Step two: In the new window, click Save on the left side.

Step three: For reasons unknown, Excel does not have a Browse button next to the Default File Location box so you’ll have to type the path to the directory of your new default opening and saving location.  When finished, click OK.

That’s it!  If you have any questions, be sure to comment below.

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Quick Tip: How to Save Documents as PDFs in Microsoft Office Word 2007

If you’ve ever written a document in Microsoft Office Word, chances are you’ve wanted to save it as a PDF for easy sharing.  Publishing to PDF isn’t included in the standard installation of Microsoft Office Word, but you can add it in a few easy steps which I will cover in this quick tip.

Step 1: Head over to the Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS Add-in for 2007 Microsoft Office programs page.  Make sure to close Microsoft Office Word if you currently have it open.

Step 2: Download and install the Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS add-in.

Step 3: Re-open Microsoft Office Word.  You will now have the option to save as PDF in the Save As menu!