Protect Your Document Templates

Summary: If you want to protect your templates from accidental changes, the best way to do so is by using Windows instead of Word. This tip provides step-by-step instructions on how to make a template read-only, so it can't be changed. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

As you work with templates, you begin to realize that they are very valuable tools. As such, they should be protected—particularly if other people use your computer. To protect a document template from being changed or deleted, you should make the template file read-only. This is easily done from within Windows (not Word) by following these steps:

Make sure you don't have the document template open in Word. (If there is any doubt, simply close Word.)
Use My Computer to locate the template file you want to protect.
Right-click your mouse on the name of the template file you want to protect. Windows displays a Context menu.
Choose Properties from the Context menu. Windows displays a Properties dialog box for the file.
Click your mouse on the General tab, if necessary. (Click here to see a related figure.)
Make sure the Read-only check box is selected.
Click on OK.

Tip #504 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Protect Your Document Templates