Are you prompted to save on Normal.Dotm or Normal.Dot when you tried to quit word? Check the solution here for Word cannot save or create this file issue. Mar 10, 2015 Shows how to navigate Finder to revert to the default Normal.dotm file in Word 2011 on a Mac.
Sometimes the evil lurks in what’s supposed to be Word 2016’s main repository of sanity: the Normal template file. To fix the Normal template, you must delete it (or rename it) and then Word automatically builds a new, proper Normal template.
If you rebuild the Normal template, you’re removing any customizations you’ve added, macros you’ve created, or default settings you’ve modified. On the other hand, those changes may be causing your problem, so it’s time for a fix.
Sep 14, 2018 Location: C:Usersuser nameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplates. Click on Start- in the search box type Run - iin the run window type -%Appdata%Microsoft. Are you making some changes to the normal.dotm file? If not, then some add-ins or macros is changing the normal.dotm file, which is why Word is prompting for your confirmation. If you only seeing this behavior recently, can you please let us know what changes you made before the issue started happening? Find the Normal.dotm file, and drag it to the desktop. Do you see the error? Quit Word, and drag Normal.dotm from your desktop to the Trash. Congratulations, this solved the problem. Quit Word, and restore the file to its original location. Go to the next method.
To have Word re-create the Normal template, follow these initial steps to rename the original file:
- Quit Word.
- Press Win+E to summon a File Explorer window.
- Click the Address box to select whatever name appears there.
- Press the Delete key to clear the Address box.
- Type %USERPROFILE%AppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplates.
As you start typing AppData, you see hints appear below your typing. These hints help to direct you and confirm that you’re on the right track. Eventually, you see the Templates folder. - Right-click on the Normal.dotm file.
The file might show only the first part of the name, Normal. - Choose the Rename command from the shortcut menu.
- Edit the name to Normal-old.dotm or Normal-old.
If you can see the dotm part of the name, don’t change it. - Press Enter to lock in the new name.
Keep the File Explorer window open. - Restart Word.
You don’t need to do anything in Word, though you may notice that any problems you have related to the old Normal template are gone. - Quit Word.
In the File Explorer window, you see the rebuilt Normal.dotm file.
This trick may or may not work, and it does remove any modifications that you’ve made to Word. To restore the original Normal.dotm file, quit Word and rename the file back to Normal.dotm or Normal.
- Word stores its templates in the folder referenced by the pathname you type in Step 5. This location holds true for Word 16 and Office 365. Earlier versions of Word stored the template files in a different location.
- The %USERPROFILE% thing is a Windows environment variable. It represents your account’s home folder on the PC’s primary storage device.
Note
Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
Summary
This article contains workarounds for an issue in which you are always prompted to save the changes to the global template, Normal.dotm, when you exit Microsoft Office Word 2007 or Word 2010. First, you can turn off the Prompt before saving Normal template option. However, when you do this, Word will not prompt you when it automatically saves the changes the global template. You may still have an issue. Second, you can remove any add-ins or templates that may be changing the global template. Third, you can help protect the computer from macro viruses that change the global template.
Symptoms
Every time that you exit Microsoft Office Word 2007 or Word 2010, you receive the following message:
'Changes have been made that affect the global template, Normal.dotm. Do you want to save those changes?'
Cause
This issue may occur if any one of the following conditions is true:
The Prompt before saving Normal template option is turned on.
An add-in or a macro that is changing the global template is installed on the computer. For example, this issue may occur the Stamps.com Internet postage add-in is installed on the computer.
An add-in may add one or more of the following items to the computer:
- A WLL file
- A template
- A COM add-in
- An automatic macro
The computer is infected with a macro virus that changes the global template (Normal.dotm).
Workaround
To work around this issue, use one or more of the following workarounds.
Workaround 1: Turn off the 'Prompt before saving Normal template' option
To work around this issue if the Prompt before saving Normal template option is turned on, follow these steps.
Note
If you turn off this option in Word, changes may still be made to the global template. However, you will not be prompted to save these changes. We recommend that you perform the other workarounds that are mentioned later in this article.
In Word 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.
In Word 2010, click the Filebutton, and then click Options.
Click Advanced.
Under Save, click to clear the Prompt before saving Normal template check box.
Click OK to close the Word Options dialog box. Microsoft word for mac change orientation of one page.
Workaround 2: Remove add-ins or macros that are changing the global template
To work around this issue if add-ins or macros that are changing the global template are installed on the computer, use one of the following methods.
Method 1: Remove WLL add-ins and templates from the Word Startup folder and from the Office Startup folder
When you start Word, Word automatically loads templates and add-ins that are located in the Office Startup folder and in the Word Startup folder. You may experience the issue that is described in the 'Symptoms' section if conflicts or problems occur with one of these items. To determine whether an item in a Startup folder is causing the issue, temporarily empty the folder. To do this, follow these steps:
Exit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor in Microsoft Outlook, make sure that you also exit Outlook.
On the desktop, double-click My Computer, and then open the Office Startup folder. By default, the Office Startup folder is at the following location:
For Word 2007:
C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12Startup
For Word 2010:
C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice14Startup
Drag each item from the Office Startup folder to the desktop. Or, create a folder on your desktop, and then drag each item to this new folder.
Note
To create a new folder on the desktop, right-click a blank area on the desktop, point to New, and then click Folder.
Open the Word Startup folder. By default, the Word Startup folder is at the following location:
C:Documents and Settings*user name*Application DataMicrosoftWordStartup
Drag each item from the Word Startup folder to the desktop. Or, create a folder on your desktop, and then drag each item to this new folder.
Start Word.
If you can no longer reproduce the issue after you removed multiple items from the Office Startup folder and from the Word Startup folder, add the files back to the appropriate Startup folder one at a time to isolate the issue. Try to reproduce the issue after you add each file to find the file that causes the issue.
Method 2: Remove COM add-ins
COM add-ins can be installed in any location. COM add-ins are installed by programs that interact with Word 2007. To view the list of COM add-ins that are installed on the computer, follow these steps:
In Word 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.
In Word 2010, click the Filebutton, and then click Options.
Click Add-Ins.
Under Manage, click COM Add-ins, and then click Go.
The COM Add-Ins dialog box appears.
Normal Dotm Location
If add-ins are listed in the COM Add-Ins dialog box, temporarily turn off each add-in. To do this, click to clear the check box for each COM add-in that is listed, and then click OK. When you restart Word, the COM add-ins that you turned off are not loaded. If the issue is resolved after you turn off the COM add-ins, one of these COM add-ins is causing this issue. To determine the add-in that is causing the issue, turn on the COM add-ins one at a time, and then restart Word.
Method 3: Remove Word automatic macros
Automatic macros run when you start Word or when you perform a specific action in Word 2007. The following table lists the Word automatic macros:
| Macro | Storage location | Action |
|---|---|---|
| AutoExec | In the Normal template or in a global add-in | Runs when you start Word 2007 |
| AutoNew | In a template | Runs when a new document that is based on the template is created |
| AutoOpen | In a document or in a template | Runs when a document that is based on the template or that contains the macro is opened |
| AutoClose | In a document or in a template | Runs when a document that is based on the template or that contains the macro is closed |
| AutoExit | In the Normal template or in a global add-in | Runs when you exit Word 2007 |
To determine the automatic macros that you should remove, temporarily stop Word automatic macros from running. To temporarily stop the AutoExec macro from running, click Start, point to All Programs, hold the SHIFT key, and then click Microsoft Word. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7 type Word from the start button, hold down the SHIFT key, and then click Microsoft Word. To stop any one of the other macros that are listed in this table, hold SHIFT when you perform the action that causes the macro to run.
To remove an automatic macro, follow these steps:
Start Word.
On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Macros.
If the Developer tab does not appear in Word 2007, follow these steps:
- Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.
- Click Personalize.
- Under Top options for working with Word, click to select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box.
- Click OK to close the Word Options dialog box.
If the Developer tab does not appear in Word 2010, follow these steps:
- In the upper-left corner of the screen, click the Filebutton.
- In the lower-right area of the drop-down box, click Options.
- In the Word Options page, click Customize Ribbonin the left menu.
- In the Top options for working with Wordsection, click to select the Show Developer tab in the Ribboncheck box, and then click OK.
In the Macros dialog box, remove any macro whose name starts with 'Auto'. To remove an automatic macro, click the macro, and then click Delete.
Note An automatic macro may have been added by a Word add-in. To determine whether a template contains an automatic macro, click each template in the Macros in box. When you do this, the macros that are in the template are listed. If you determine that a template contains an automatic macro, you may want to remove this template from your computer. If you remove a template that was added by a Word add-in, the functionality of the add-in may be affected.
Click Cancel to close the Macros dialog box.
Exit Word.
If the issue is resolved after you restart Word, one of the automatic macros was causing the issue.]
Workaround 3: Help prevent a macro virus from infecting the computer
To work around this issue if the computer is infected with a macro virus, use one or more of the following methods.
Method 1: Install and update antivirus software
For a long-term strategy to help prevent macro viruses, install antivirus software that is designed specifically to detect macro viruses.
Note
After you install an antivirus software program, you must keep it updated to make sure that new macro viruses are detected and removed. For more information about how to update your antivirus software program, contact your antivirus software vendor.
Method 2: Configure a macro setting in Word
Word includes the following macro settings to help reduce the chances that a macro virus will infect documents, templates, or add-ins:
Where Is Normal.dotm
Disable all macros without notification
Disable all macros with notification
Note This setting is the default setting.
Disable all macros except digitally signed macros
Enable all macros (not recommended, potentially dangerous code can run)
To change the macro setting in Word, follow these steps:
In Word 2007, click Word Options from the Officebutton.
In Word 2010, click Options from the Filebutton.
Select Trust Center, and then click Trust Center Settings.
Click Macro Settings.
Under Macro Settings, click one of the following macro settings for documents that are not in a trusted location:
- Disable all macros without notification
- Disable all macros with notification
- Disable all macros except digitally signed macros
- Enable all macros (not recommended, potentially dangerous code can run)
Click OK to close the Trust Center dialog box.
Method 3: Lock the global template
When you lock the global template and create a password, you can help reduce the chances that a macro virus will gain unauthorized access to the computer.
To lock the global template, follow these steps:
On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Visual Basic.
If the Developer tab does not appear in Word 2007, follow these steps:
- Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.
- Click Personalize.
- Under Top options for working with Word, click to select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box.
- Click OK to close the Word Options dialog box.
If the Developer tab does not appear in Word 2010, follow these steps:
- Click the File button and then click Options.
- Click Customize Ribbon.
- Check Developer from the list on the right.
In Visual Basic Editor, click **This Document ** in the Project window.
Note If the Project window does not appear, click Project Explorer on the View menu.
On the Tools menu, click Project Properties.
Click the Protection tab, click to select the Lock project for viewing check box.
In the Password box, type a password. Then, type the same password in the Confirm password box.
Click OK to close the Project Properties dialog box.
On the File menu, click Close and return to Microsoft Word.
Exit Word.
When you receive the following message, click Yes:
'Changes have been made that affect the global template, Normal.dotm. Do you want to save those changes?'
More Information
Normal Dotm On Mac
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