- Choose File → New.
- In the New Document task pane, select a basic template, a recently used template, or click the On my computer link, which opens the Templates dialog box and allows you to select data more ea
When you start a new document in Word you should always be using the File ? New command. You then select a template from the gallery of templates, click OK, and a new document is generated based upon that template. In effect, the contents of the template are copied to a new document, and from that point forward the changes you make affect only the document and do not affect the source template. The first time you save the document, you will be prompted for a name because it is, in fact, a new document and is therefore unnamed.
When you use templates correctly, you use the File ? New command to generate a new document based upon the selected template.
We emphasize this point because many users have what they call templates, but they are not templates at all.
