Word template has suddently changed and isn't fixed to default when I delete Normal.dotm. It opens older Word docx files with the same problem.

It sounds like you are experiencing issues with the Normal.dotm template in Word, which may be corrupted or not functioning as expected. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem:

1. Rename Normal.dotm: Since you mentioned deleting Normal.dotm, ensure that you are renaming it correctly. You can rename it to something like "Oldword.old" instead of deleting it. This allows Word to create a new Normal.dotm file when you restart the application.
2. Change the Document Template: Open the problematic document, go to File > Options > Add-Ins, and check the template being used. If it’s set to Normal, you can try changing it to a different template and then back to Normal.
3. Start Word with Default Settings: You can start Word using the /a switch to ensure it loads with default settings, which might help in resolving the issue. To do this, exit Word, open the Run dialog, and type winword.exe /a.
4. Check for Printer Driver Issues: Sometimes, printer drivers can cause formatting issues. Try changing the printer driver to see if that resolves the problem.
5. Copy Content to a New Document: If the issue persists, create a new document and copy the content from the problematic document into the new one, avoiding any section breaks that might carry over formatting issues.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may need to consider reinstalling Word or checking for updates that could address any bugs.

References:

• How to troubleshoot damaged documents in Word
• The Save As dialog box appears two times when you try to save a file in Word
• You are prompted to save the changes to the global template every time that you exit Word 2007 or Word 2010