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reset default settings

James Glass 20 Reputation points
2026-01-14T23:21:35.6133333+00:00

I using Microsoft Office 365 on a MacBook Pro M1. How can I reset the default settings in word and Excel. Specifically, Font style and size and paragraph setup…

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-01-14T23:21:43.8733333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To reset the default settings in Microsoft Word and Excel, including font style, size, and paragraph setup, you can follow these general steps:

    For Microsoft Word:

    1. Backup the Existing Template:
      • Navigate to the %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Templates folder and locate the normal.dotm file.
      • Rename it to normal.dotm.bak to create a backup.
    2. Create a New Template:
      • Open Word, then close it. This action will create a new normal.dotm file in the same folder.
    3. Customize the New Template:
      • Open Word again and go to the %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Templates\normal.dotm file.
      • Set your desired font and paragraph settings.
      • Save and close the file.
    4. Distribute the Template:
      • You can copy this revised normal.dotm file to other users' computers to apply the same settings.

    For Microsoft Excel:

    While the specific steps for Excel are not detailed in the provided context, you can generally reset settings by:

    1. Resetting the Excel Template:
      • Similar to Word, locate the Excel template file (usually Book.xltx or Sheet.xltx) in the templates folder and rename it to create a backup.
    2. Create a New Default Template:
      • Open Excel, change the default font and paragraph settings, and save it as a new template in the same folder.

    After completing these steps, your default settings for both Word and Excel should be reset to your preferences.

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  1. John Korchok 232.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-01-15T00:03:14.1233333+00:00

    The bot has given you a Windows answer to a Mac question.

    To find Normal.dotm on a Mac:

    1. Close Word.
    2. Hold down the Option key, then on the Go menu (on the macOS toolbar), choose Library. Your hidden user Library folder opens.
    3. Navigate to ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates.
    4. Select the Normal.dotm and either rename it or drag it to your desktop.
    5. Open and close Word to create a new Normal.dotm template with default Microsoft formatting.

    Contrary to what the bot says about Excel, there is no analogous Excel template that can be renamed. I'm not an expert on Excel, you might try asking in the Excel forum how to reset the Mac version.

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  2. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435.6K Reputation points
    2026-01-15T01:29:42.14+00:00

    It isn't clear why you marked the AI bot's reply as an Answer since the suggested steps cannot be executed on a Mac. If it was done in error please unmark it in order to avoid misleading those who may follow. Also, there is no need to directly open & edit or replace the Normal.dotm template.[1]

    • For setting default Font specifications launch the program then go to Format> Font in the main menu. Choose the settings you want then click the Default button & confirm when prompted.[2]
    • For Paragraph specifications go to Format> Paragraph & do the same.[2]

    In Excel the default font settings can be specified in Excel> Preferences - General.[2]

    [1] Directly editing the Normal.dotm template can do more harm than good. Replacing it will cause the loss of any Macros, Keyboard Shortcuts, Custom Styles & AutoText entries you have created. All but keyboard shortcuts can be retrieved if the old Normal.dotm is not deleted.

    [2] Note that these steps make no changes in existing documents. The apply to new documents created after the changes are made.

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