Where Is the Word Normal.dotm Template Located?
The Normal.dotm path on Windows and Mac, how to read it from Word's own settings, and how to reset it when Word acts up.
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Normal.dotm is the template Word starts from. Every default you change without thinking about it, styles, margins, fonts, macros and the AutoText entries you keep meaning to clean up, gets written into this single file the next time Word closes.
That also makes it the first thing to suspect when Word behaves strangely: it asks to load the file, crashes on startup, or opens with fonts you never chose. Deleting it is safe. Word writes a fresh one with factory defaults on the next launch.
Word never shows the path in the document window, but its own settings screens do, and that is the version worth trusting. Some Microsoft 365 installs move the user templates folder away from the default without telling you.
Where Microsoft Word stores this, by platform
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dotm
This is %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Templates. Word shows and changes the folder under File > Options > Advanced > File Locations > User templates. Some Microsoft 365 installs point that entry at Documents\Custom Office Templates instead, so read the dialog rather than a written-down path. Rename Normal.dotm to Normal.dotm.old and Word recreates it, taking any custom styles or macros stored in the old file with it.
~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates/Normal.dotm
Word for Mac keeps its templates in the Office group container, in a folder that is sometimes named User Content.localized with Templates inside it. Word > Settings > File Locations > User Templates shows the live path. Finder hides Library, so use Go > Go to Folder to get there, and rename the file to make Word rebuild a clean copy.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reset Normal.dotm in Word?
Close Word, rename Normal.dotm to Normal.dotm.old and start Word again. It writes a clean template with default styles, margins and fonts. Whatever you had stored in the old file, custom styles, macros, AutoText, stays in the renamed copy until you deliberately move it back.
Where does Word keep custom templates?
By default in the same folder as Normal.dotm, which is why new templates show up under Personal or Custom in the New document screen. Change it through File > Options > Advanced > File Locations > User templates on Windows or Word > Settings > File Locations > User Templates on Mac.
Why does Word keep asking to load Normal.dotm?
Usually because the file is corrupted or was touched by an add-in, a macro or an antivirus scan mid-save. Rename it and let Word rebuild the file; that clears the prompt in most cases. Word Online has no Normal.dotm at all, since the template only exists in the desktop apps.
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