Is there a way to recreate variations of frequently-used documents without having to start from scratch?  Especially those with special formatting?  If creating a new blank document is your usual go-to, it’s worth taking a look at the templates Microsoft Word includes.  From business letters to lists, calendars, and more, using an existing template can help you avoid formatting struggles and can give you a polished-looking end product.  Even better, you can create your own templates.  You’ll be able to use saved templates to make your material look great, and it’s especially useful for duplicating those documents you make frequently.

Here’s how to find the template for your document:

Open Microsoft Word.  Right there in the first window you will see, along with the option for creating a blank document, the available template options.  Simply select the one you wish to use and click “Create.”  You can even use the window search bar to look for a specific type of template if you already have something in mind.

Found a formatting scheme that works great for the material you are documenting?  Save that format as a template.  If you are using Word for Mac, just click “File” and “Save as Template.”  To save your own template on a PC, click “File,” “Save as,” then select the location where you’d like to save the template.  Under “Save as type” select “Word template (*.dotx)” from the drop-down menu.