Creating a Microsoft Word template is a great way to ensure that your document formatting remains the same when populated by others. This may be helpful if you are creating a specific template that you want your students to use, for example for an assignment planning outline or self-assessment sheet, etc.
After creating your Word document and saving it as a template, OneDrive allows you to share the template so that others can create a copy of the templated document to populate themselves.
This guide outlines the process of saving a templated Word file, sharing the file and how the recipient will be able to use the template.
To create a template, you'll need access to Microsoft Word, which is a part of Office365. There are two ways to access Word:
- If you do not have Microsoft Word, you may obtain Microsoft 365 ProPlus for your personal computer (also depending on your role in the University) courtesy of U of T. Note: The recipient of the template/document will require the desktop version of Microsoft Word.
- You may also access Microsoft Word via the Office365 app drawer in Outlook or OneDrive.
1. Save your Word doc as a template file
Word documents have the file extension ".docx" or ".doc" and Word templates have the extension ".dotx". To save a template of your file, open your document in Word:
- Navigate to "File", then
- Select "Save as Template". You should now have a duplicate file with the extension ".dotx".
2. Navigate and Copy Template to OneDrive
- Navigate to your OneDrive by going to https://onedrive.live.com/ and logging in with your U of T email and password.
- Once logged in, select "Upload"
- Then select "Files" and choose the Template file (.dotx) created in Step 1.
3. Share template with Recipients
- Select the Share icon.
3.1. Specify Recipients
- Select "People you specify can view"
- Choose the option "People in University of Toronto with the link"
- Select "Apply"
- Choose either to add recipients emails and select "Send" or choose to copy the link to share in your own email.
4. For Recipients: Open template in desktop Word app
This step requires the recipient to have access to the desktop version of Microsoft Word.
If the recipient received an email invitation or opened the template via link, it will open the template via Word online.
- Select "Edit Document"
- Select to "Open in Desktop App"
- When the textbox appears, select "Open Microsoft Word".
5. Save a copy of the document for editing
- In Word, select "File"
- Then select "Save" and rename the file.