Deploy default Normal.dotm

Question

How can I deploy a default Normal.dotm (custom default colours) to users so that it is not overwritten the first time Word (2013 or 2016) is run?

I've tried setting the MigrateNormalOnFirstBoot registry key but it doesn't seem to make any difference and Word still overwrites the Normal.dotm file on first-run. If I overwrite the file after first-run, it works fine, but I need the file to be available from the first time users open Word as doing it after the fact requires Word to be closed.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve.

Answer 1

Normal.dotm is supposed to be a custom template for the user, and your users will not thank you if you overwrite the customizations they have made. If you want to deploy custom default colors for house documents, instead create custom document templates or a custom color theme for users to select.

Answer 2

Thanks for your concern regarding our corporate policy, but as stated, this is intended to be deployed prior to first run, i.e. during the build process. Users are free to customise it beyond the defaults after the first run.

Answer 3

In that case, you are going to have included starting Word as part of your build process.

Answer 4

I guess that during the build process, you are going to need to create the user account so that you can place the customized Normal.dotm template in the User Templates folder.

Answer 5

Okay, sorry. It wasn't clear to me from your post (I'm not an IT pro).