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Difference between templates normal.dotm and normal.dotx?

Anonymous
2010-04-01T00:35:10+00:00

Hi all,

To satisfy my need to understand, I've researched the above question on the web but still don't have a simple straightforward answer.

When I use Open from Word I can get at - and modify - normal.dotm. Normal.dotx is nowhere to be seen.

The "m" for macro in normal.dotm would imply that it is the more sophisticated of the two and yet it is readily available for modifying.

What then does normal.dotx do? And why is it hidden? The assumption is that it should never be touched. Does normal.dotm rely on normal.dotx? When I modify normal.dotm does it do anything to normal.dotx?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment!

Sharon

Sharon Roffey

Queensland, Australia

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Jay Freedman 207.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2010-04-01T02:08:51+00:00

    Word 2007 (and 2010) does not make or use a Normal.dotx file. It uses only Normal.dotm.

    The reason is that *.dotm templates are capable of containing macros (whether or not they actually contain any macros). If you record or write a macro in a .dotx template and then try to save it, Word will warn you that the macros can't be saved and do you want to discard them or back off and save as a *.dotm instead? This is just as true for the Normal template as for any other template. To avoid frustration, MS decided to just make Normal.dotm and not Normal.dotx.

    If you deliberately save a template with the name Normal.dotx, you can use it like any other template -- but it still won't be "the" Normal.dotm template.I can definitely see it in the Open dialog. Apparently, though, MS considered it too confusing to show a template named Normal in the General tab of the New Document dialog.

    Jay Freedman MS Word MVP

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  1. Jim G 134K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2013-06-04T13:54:03+00:00

    Just to back up Jay - only one version of Word saves Normal.dotx instead of Normal.dotm. The version that does this is Word 2008 on the Mac and the reason is that only this one Mac version of Word does not support macros. The m at the end of the file suffix = macro, an x = plain Word document without macros. You say you're using Word 2007, which saves the Normal template as Normal.dotm, not Normal.dotx.

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  1. Jay Freedman 207.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2010-04-02T16:10:24+00:00

    I had hoped to make myself clear before: if you see Normal.dotx, it isn't something that Word created but something that a user created. Word won't use Normal.dotx as the kind of mixed-purpose global-and-document-base template that Normal.dotm is. New blank documents will be based on Normal.dotm, never on Normal.dotx. Macros and AutoCorrect entries in Normal.dotx will be available only in documents that are based on (or attached to) that specific template, while those in Normal.dotm are available in all documents.

    Generally, I would advise that you NEVER make or use any Normal.dotx, because it only leads to confusion. It's "allowed" but definitely not recommended. And when you see references to it in postings, it's almost always a typographical error or a misunderstanding.

    Jay Freedman MS Word MVP

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-04-02T21:37:46+00:00

    Hi Jay,

    You did make yourself clear ... it's me, not you. :-) Those were just supplementary questions to plug the gaps.

    The references I referred to were definitely not typos nor misunderstandings. If you Google difference normal.dotm normal.dotx you will see that I am not the only one for whom the line is fuzzy.

    You have cleared my fog and now I am happy!

    Thanks.

    Sharon

    Sharon Roffey

    Queensland, Australia

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-04-01T04:16:47+00:00

    Hi Jay,

    Thanks! I keep hearing/reading references to normal.dotx and just couldn't figure it out. Just one more little question ... where did the notion of .dotx come from? It must have been put "out there" as an alternative. Was it just for the reasons you cite, i.e. for templates where there are no macros, never going to be any macros, etc. In which case, why not just use normal.dotm and be done with it. I just don't see the need for a dotx.

    OK, that was two questions! When I know the answers to those it will be enough.  :-)

    Best,

    Sharon

    Sharon Roffey

    Queensland, Australia

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