There’s no demonstration file to download. I’m using Word 2016 (desktop) on a Windows 10 64-bit system, but most of these defaults apply to earlier versions. Knowledge is power, so customize Normal fully informed and prepared for what might happen (but seldom does). Specifically, your Word files might not look the same on someone else’s system. If you share files with others, your customizations might conflict with theirs.If you upgrade, Word might generate a new Normal template file, which won’t include your customizations.If the Normal template is deleted (it shouldn’t happen, but it could), Word will generate a new version, which won’t include your customizations.If Word encounters a corrupt Normal file, it will generate a new one, which won’t include your customizations.There are a few important things to remember when you customize the Normal template: It’s not bad–you’re not going to blow up Word–but users often forget about the customizations and are later confused when the template isn’t working as expected. As a rule, I recommend that you not modify Normal or that you make few customizations. Many of these changes are to application-level settings, but a few customize the Normal template.

How to insert absolute and relative hyperlinks in a Microsoft Word document How to return first and last times from timestamps in Microsoft Excel Master Microsoft Office with this accredited training LEARN MORE: Office 365 Consumer pricing and features More about Software In this article, I’ll show you 10 defaults you can reset these are the features readers contact me about the most. But with the right tweaks, your custom settings can save you a lot of time. Of course, “permanently” simply means the behavior persists until you change it again you can revert to the out-of-the box setting or to another setting anytime you want. Why not change these options permanently? That way, every new document opens ready to go, so you can be a bit more productive. However, you’ll still find a few things you change almost every time you start a new document, and doing so quickly becomes annoying. Out of the box, Word does a reasonable job of anticipating how most of us work. Customize a few default settings and you won't have to work so hard! Image: iStock/AntonioGuillem Stop modifying every document with the same changes. 10 defaults you can change to make Word 2016 work your way

Set default layout in word