Assign Keyboard Shortcuts to Global Template in Word 365

Question

My current app version is: Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2609 Build 16.0.20430.20032) 64-bit and OS Windows 11.

I have repeatedly assigned keyboard shortcuts in Word for actions such as: inserting certain symbols; changing font case; table-related actions; highlighting text;  and others. In so doing, I do not overwrite or reuse Word or Windows shortcuts.  Finally, I save the assignments to the Global Template.  The shortcuts work for days, weeks, or longer, but then suddenly disappear!  I expect that Office updates overwrite the Normal global template(s).

How and where can I assign keyboard shortcuts in Word to ensure they are saved, loaded at Office 365 start up, available to other Office 365 apps, and not overwritten?

 Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

There is no reason why an Office update would modify the Normal template. What you can do is double-check the time stamp on the Normal template to see if, and when, it has changed most recently.

As an alternative, you can save your keyboard shortcuts to a custom template (.dotx) and save that template in Word's Startup folder. By default, the Startup folder is %Appdata%\Microsoft\Word\Startup (where %Appdata% is a variable that points to your user profile path). You can enter that path in the Run dialog box (Windows logo key + R) and press Enter to go directly to the folder.

Answer 2

On rare occasions, Microsoft updates create a new Normal.dotm and back up the old Normal.dotm by adding an 8 or 9 digit number to the name. However, I've only seen this happen twice in the last ten years, and if that was true in your case, you would not have access to the macros as well as the shortcuts.

Here is a sample macro that you can use to reapply keyboard shortcuts, with each line showing a different object type that can have a shortcut:

Sub ReapplyKeyboardShortcuts()
    CustomizationContext = NormalTemplate
    KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKey0, wdKeyControl), KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryAutoText, Command:="Lorem Ipsum"             'Inserts autotext of this name from the attached template
    KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKey1, wdKeyControl), KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryCommand, Command:="ViewWeb"                  'Runs the built-in Word command of this name
    KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKey2, wdKeyControl), KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryMacro, Command:="MacroName"                  'Runs the macro of this name in a macro-enabled document or a macro-enabled template attached to the document
    KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKey3, wdKeyControl), KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryStyle, Command:="Heading 1"                  'Formats selected text with the named style
    KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKey4, wdKeyControl), KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategorySymbol, Command:=" " & ChrW(Val("&H2011"))   'Inserts symbol using the specified Unicode character code
End Sub

Here is Microsoft's page on the BuildKeyCode command with more information.

Answer 3

Dear SLCOOPER,

Losing shortcut assignments repeatedly after building them up is understandably frustrating, especially when they work fine for weeks. From my research, Word keyboard shortcuts are stored in whichever document or template you select under Save changes in in the Customize Keyboard dialog. There is no universal Microsoft 365 shortcut profile, and the assignments apply to Word only. Excel and PowerPoint do not share this customization mechanism, so shortcuts defined here will not carry across to the other apps.

On the cause, Office updates overwriting Normal.dotm is possible but usually not the main reason. More common causes are Word failing to save the template on exit, profile cleanup or roaming profile software, an add-in interfering with the save, or a policy or script replacing the template in a managed environment. The more durable approach is to stop relying on Normal.dotm and use a separate global template instead. Templates placed in Word's Startup folder load automatically as add-ins every time Word starts, and they can hold keyboard shortcuts, macros and Building Blocks.

1. Back up first, close Word and copy Normal.dotm from %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Templates somewhere safe.
2. Create the template: In Word, save a blank file as a macro enabled template, for example MyShortcuts.dotm, into %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP. This folder is a Trusted Location by default, so macros in it will run.
3. Restart Word so the template loads as a global add-in. You can confirm it under File > Options > Add-ins > Manage: Word Add-ins > Go > Templates.
4. Assign the shortcuts: Go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Customize, and in the Save changes in box select MyShortcuts.dotm rather than Normal. Then assign each shortcut as usual.
5. Save the template. Close Word and accept the prompt to save changes to the template.

If the shortcuts still vanish after this, that would point to something on the machine removing or resetting files in your profile, which is worth raising with your IT team if this is a managed device.

I hope this helps. Looking forward to your reply.

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