WD: Starting Word for Windows with a Template Other Than Normal

ID: Q189050

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SUMMARY

By default, when you start Word, it opens a new document based on the Normal template (Normal.dot). You can, however, specify an alternative template using a command-line switch. For versions of Word for Windows earlier than Word 7.x, use a combination of command-line switches and a WordBasic macro.


MORE INFORMATION

Word 7.0

To have Word open a new document based on a template other than Normal.dot when Word starts, follow these steps:

  1. Create a shortcut for Word.


  2. Right-click the shortcut. Click Properties.


  3. Click the Shortcut tab and change the Target line to:
    c:\<WordFolder>\winword.exe /t<templatename>
    where <WordFolder> is the path to the Winword.exe program, and <templatename> is the full path to the template. If the path or the template file name uses a long file name, enclose the path and template name in quotation marks. Make sure there is no space between the /t switch and <templatename>.


For more information about controlling what happens when you start Word for Windows 95, version 7.0, point to the Help menu, click the Answer Wizard, type start Word, click Search, and then click to view "Control what happens when you start Word."

If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q120802 Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program or Component

Word 6.x and Earlier

To have Word open a new document based on a template other than Normal.dot when Word starts, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Macro.


  2. In the Macro Name box, enter the name of the template you want Word to use when it starts, such as Memo2, and click Create (click Edit in Word 2.x).


  3. Between the Sub Main and End Sub statements, add the following macro statement: 
    
FileNew .NewTemplate = 0, .Template = "c:\winword\template\Memo2.dot"
    NOTE: Specify any valid template name for the .Template parameter.

    If any part of the path or the template file name uses long file names, you must enclose the .template argument inside double quotation marks, using the Chr$() function, This function returns a character that corresponds to the character code you specify. The code for a double quotation mark is 34, so the function looks like this 
    
      Chr$(34)
    and the macro statement looks like this:


    4. 
      FileNew .NewTemplate = 0, .Template = Chr$(34) +
     "c:\msoffice\templates\memos\Elegant Memo.dot"+ Chr$(34)
  4. On the File menu, click Close. When prompted, choose to save changes to the global macro.


  5. On the File menu, click Exit. In Word 2.x, choose to save global glossary and command changes when prompted.


  6. Use one of the following procedures to set up different icons to start Word for Windows with your commonly used Word for Windows templates.

    1. Windows 95:

      1. Create a shortcut for Word.


      2. Right-click the shortcut. Click Properties.


      3. Click the Shortcut tab and change the Target line to:


        4. c:\<WordFolder>\winword.exe /m<macroname>
      For more information about how to perform this task in Windows 95, see your Windows 95 printed documentation or online Help.


    2. Windows 3.x:

      1. In the Windows Program Manager, select the group where you want the new icon to appear.


      2. Create a new icon with the following text in the Command Line box:


        3. c:\<WordFolder>\winword.exe /n /m<macroname>
      For more information about how to perform this task in Windows, see your Windows printed documentation or online Help.


    The /n switch starts Word for Windows without opening a document. The /m<macroname> switch automatically runs the specified macro when Word for Windows is started. Note: There is no space between the /m switch and the macro name. <WordFolder> is the name of your Word for Windows folder.

    For example:


    7. c:\winword\winword.exe /n /mMemo2
  7. Double-click the icon to start Word for Windows with the alternate template file.


For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q70014 Word for Windows Startup Switches


REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word for Windows Getting Started," version 2.0, page 14

Additional query words: 2.0 6.0 7.0 winword2 word6 word95 switch winword start-up parameters word7 arguments startup another

Keywords : kbdta kbtemplate
Version : WINDOWS:2.0,2.0a,2.0a-CD,2.0b,2.0c,6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo


Last Reviewed: September 22, 1999
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