Wish there was a way to make changes to the default blank document Word?
In a comment on our Open Blank Word Document article, Joe says,
” It would also help if there was an easy way to specify the margins, font type/size line spacing, etc of the blank screen that comes up…or, alternatively, how to kill the Word default.”
Joe,
Actually there is a pretty easy way to accomplish those tasks. You can easily set the defaults of Word for your margins, font, spacing, and paragraphs. With your blank document open, click on the arrow by the Font menu to expand your menu options.
Here, you can set your default preferences, like good ol’ 12 pt. Times New Roman. Set whatever you’d like to be your default, then hit Set as Default.
You’ll have a window pop up if you want to set it as default only for this document or for All documents based on normal.dotm template. If you want to always have it open this way, then mark the second choice.
Spacing you can set up under the Paragraph extended menu. Change Line Spacing to single or whatever you’d prefer, and again hit Set as Default.
You can find your margin settings under the Page Layout Ribbon, under Page Setup. Again, once you have your choices set, hit Set as Default, and apply to all document.
Hope this helps!
~ Audra
Thanks for this tip. Is there a way to set a default for an outline format…I think I’ve done that and yet it seems to always revert back to really big indentations between outline levels. Thanks!