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.
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