What Changes Did I Make In That Template?

Summary: When you make changes that affect a template, Word usually asks you if you want to save those changes when you exit the program. If you see such a question and you don't remember making changes, then you should be wary. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

When using Word, it is not unusual to make changes that affect the Normal.dot template. You may change toolbar or menu configuration, macros, or styles. In these instances, you are probably glad that Word asks you, when exiting, if you want to save the changes to Normal.dot.

What if you don't remember making any changes to Normal.dot, however? Is there a way to discover what changes were made so that you can determine if Normal.dot should be saved? Unfortunately, there is no "review" feature that shows what changes were made. Word expects you to just remember if you made changes.

If you don't specifically remember making changes, and Word is asking you if you want to save your changes to Normal.dot, the prudent thing to do is to not save the changes. It is better to miss a few changes you wanted than to have your Normal.dot file contaminated with possibly malicious macros.

Tip #1386 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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What Changes Did I Make In That Template?