How to Edit Template in Word | Open the File the Right Way

To edit a Word template, open the .dotx via File > Open instead of selecting New, then edit and save to overwrite the original.

The distinction of how to edit template in Word versus how to use one comes down to the Open versus New choice. Most people right-click a .dotx file and pick New, which creates a fresh document based on the template without giving access to the template file itself. The correct method goes through File > Open, browsing to the Custom Office Templates folder, and clicking Open on the template file. Once loaded, the full editing toolset is available—text, styles, headers, footers, and merge fields—and File > Save writes changes back to the original .dotx or .dotm file.

Edit a Word Template: The File Menu Path That Works

The working sequence for Windows and macOS is nearly identical, with one folder location to know. Microsoft’s documentation on editing templates confirms the same steps across versions from Word 2016 through Microsoft 365.

Windows

1. Open Word and go to File > Open > Browse.
2. Navigate to This PC > Documents > Custom Office Templates.
3. Select the .dotx or .dotm file.
4. Click the Open button — not the dropdown arrow on the button.
5. Edit text, formatting, styles, headers, footers, or merge fields.
6. Select File > Save to overwrite the original template file.

macOS

1. Open Word and select File > Open.
2. Navigate to the Custom Office Templates folder inside Documents.
3. Select the template and click Open.
4. Make changes and use File > Save to overwrite.

The key action through every step is Open, not New. Selecting New from a right-click menu in File Explorer creates a .docx document that leaves the .dotx unchanged. Only Open loads the template itself as an editable file.

Why Opening the File Correctly Matters

Word templates carry the .dotx or .dotm extension to distinguish them from regular .docx documents. When you right-click a .dotx and choose New, Word treats the file as a source and generates a fresh .docx from it—useful for creating documents, useless for editing the template. Choosing Open instead tells Word to load the .dotx as the working file. That gives you access to the structural elements the template controls: default margins, style sets, placeholder text, header and footer layouts, and any saved building blocks. A .dotm file adds macro support on top of that. Without the Open path, none of those elements can be changed.

Where to Find Your Custom Office Templates

Word stores user-created and saved templates in a dedicated folder: Documents > Custom Office Templates. This folder appears automatically the first time you save a file as a template. When you open Word and go to File > New > Personal, the templates shown come from this location. To edit one, browse there through File > Open rather than going through the New menu. If you cannot find a template you created, check this folder first—it is the default location, not the general Templates directory many users expect.

What About Word for the Web?

Word for the Web opens template files for viewing, but it cannot overwrite the original .dotx or .dotm. Any changes you make save as a new .docx document instead of updating the template file. This is a built-in limitation of the browser version. Editing a template so the changes apply to the original file requires the desktop version of Word on Windows or macOS. For quick text edits on a template you intend to keep, the desktop app is the only reliable option.

How Different Methods Handle a .dotx File

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Four mistakes cause most of the frustration around template editing. Each has a straightforward fix.

The New vs. Open trap. Right-clicking a .dotx in File Explorer and choosing New creates a document from the template. The fix is simple: choose Open instead. On Windows 11, the default context menu hides Open behind a second click—scroll to the bottom of the menu and select Show more options to reveal the full list, then pick Open.

Saving as .docx by accident. After editing, using File > Save As and picking .docx creates a new document instead of updating the template. Always use File > Save to overwrite the original .dotx or .dotm.

Cannot find the template. Looking in the system Templates folder instead of Documents > Custom Office Templates. Use File Explorer to navigate directly to that folder, or search for *.dotx to locate every template on the system.

Changes do not save. The template may be open in another Word instance, or restricted editing is enabled. Close all Word windows and retry. If the template has protection active, go to Review > Restrict Editing and enter the password to unlock it.

Common Editing Problems and Solutions

The Core Edit Workflow

Editing a Word template comes down to three actions executed in the correct order.

1. Open the .dotx or .dotm file through File > Open > Browse, navigating to Documents > Custom Office Templates. Do not double-click the file or right-click New.
2. Make your changes to text, styles, headers, footers, or merge fields. The full desktop editing toolset is available once the template is open.
3. Use File > Save to overwrite the original template. Avoid Save As, which creates a separate file.

That sequence covers every version from Word 2016 through Microsoft 365 on both Windows and macOS. Word for the Web can view templates but cannot overwrite them, so keep the desktop app for template edits. When the file does not save, check for a second open instance or restricted editing protection. With these steps, the template updates in place and every future document based on it reflects the changes.