#Changing default view in word 2016 how to#
#Changing default view in word 2016 update#

#Changing default view in word 2016 how to#

This is where you choose how to apply the new default. That opens the full Font dialog box that’s little changed for many versions of Word.Ĭhoose the new font, style and size you want then click ‘Set As Default’ at bottom left. Then go to Home | Font and click the little arrow in the bottom right of that section. Put the cursor on a line and make sure the Normal style is selection from Home | Styles. Set As DefaultĪ common request is to change the default font for a blank document. You can use ‘Set as Default’ buttons available in some Word dialogs or edit normal.dotm directly. There are two ways to change the defaults for ‘Blank Document’. The same applies to other templates that are the basis for other documents.

We’re going to focus on normal.dotm in this article. But it’s most noticeable in a new document based on that template. That can be great for consistency across many documents. Once you’ve changed a setting in Normal.dotm that setting will take effect in all documents based on that template. It has no effect on any other document.Īll documents based on the Normal.dotm template – changes the setting in the template (in this case normal.dotm). This document only – the setting is saved in the current document only. People get confused at this and probably click OK not realizing its importance. Click on that and you’ll get this choice. Do you want it as the default setting for the current document or all documents based on the current template?įor example, the Font settings dialog has a ‘Set as Default’ button. When you make default changes to Word document settings, you’ll given a choice about where to save it. Normal.dotm is the foundation for many Word documents.Ī change to normal.dotm will affect any document (new or past) that’s based on that template.

It’s all in Normal.dotm (before Word 2007 it was normal.dot). On top of all that, there’s other personal configuration items like AutoText and Building Blocks that have to be saved somewhere. All the basic styles (Normal, Heading 1 etc.) need a font, font size, justification and a myriad of other adjustments. It might not have any visible text but Word has to know what page size to use and many other basic settings. When you choose ‘Blank Document’ where does Word get the initial settings from?Īfter all, a ‘blank’ document isn’t really blank. That led to some questions from readers about normal.dotm and why it matters so much.

#Changing default view in word 2016 update#

Before Christmas, Microsoft made another update blunder which deleted the key Microsoft Word normal.dotm file.