How to save a Word document as a .dotx template file
Go to File > Save As, choose your save location, and change the "Save as type" dropdown to Word Template (.dotx). Click Save. The .dotx format tells Word that this file is a template: opening it creates a new, untitled document based on the template rather than opening the template itself for editing. Your styles, headers, footers, content controls and page layout are all preserved and protected from accidental overwriting.
What is the difference between .docx and .dotx?
A .docx is a document. Opening it opens that file directly. Any changes you save overwrite the original. A .dotx is a template. Opening it generates a new document that inherits the template's styles, layout and content. The template stays untouched on disk.
If you distribute a .docx as your "template", staff will save their content into it, rename it, and the original formatted version will be gone. A .dotx prevents this. The file format enforces the distinction between the template and the documents created from it.
Where should you save the .dotx file?
Word defaults to saving templates in the Custom Office Templates folder (on Windows: C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Custom Office Templates). Templates saved here appear under File > New > Personal. For personal use, this location works well.
For team use, save the .dotx to a shared location: a SharePoint document library, a OneDrive for Business folder, or a network file share. Your IT team can configure this location as the default template path through Group Policy, so every user sees the template when they create a new document.
How do you edit a .dotx file after saving it?
Do not double-click the .dotx file. Double-clicking creates a new document from the template. To edit the template itself, right-click the file in File Explorer and select Open (on Windows). On Mac, hold Control while clicking and select Open. Alternatively, open Word first, go to File > Open, navigate to the .dotx file, and open it directly. Make your changes, then save. The template is updated without creating a new document.
What about macros?
The .dotx format does not support macros. If your template includes VBA macros (for example, a macro that populates a date field or inserts a standard table), save as Word Macro-Enabled Template (.dotm) instead. Be aware that .dotm files trigger security warnings in most Microsoft 365 environments, and many organisations block macro-enabled files by policy. Check with your IT team before distributing a .dotm.
Can you convert an existing .docx to a .dotx?
Yes. Open the .docx file, go to File > Save As, and change the file type to .dotx. Word converts it on save. All styles, headers, footers, content controls and page layout settings carry across. Review the file after conversion to confirm everything looks correct. Remove any document-specific content (draft text, sample data) that should not appear in the template.
At Ideaseed, we receive .docx files from clients for conversion into proper templates regularly. The conversion itself takes seconds. The real work is cleaning up the file: stripping direct formatting, rebuilding styles, fixing headers and footers, and adding content controls. A clean template saves far more time than a converted document with formatting problems baked in.
What are the common mistakes?
Saving to the wrong folder is the most frequent issue. If staff cannot find the template in File > New, it is usually because the .dotx was saved somewhere other than the Custom Office Templates folder or the configured network template location.
The second mistake is distributing the .dotx file as an email attachment without instructions. Staff double-click the attachment, which creates a new document. They do not realise the template file itself still exists as a temporary file in their email cache and will disappear when they close Outlook. Include instructions telling staff to save the .dotx to their Custom Office Templates folder.
Saving as .dotx is a small, important step that protects your template investment. It keeps the master file safe from overwrites and ensures every new document starts from a clean, consistent base.
Need help converting existing documents into professional templates? Talk to Ideaseed about a Word template project.
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