Word Document Templates vs. Word Add-ins (Global Templates)

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Microsoft® Word add-ins and document templates both have the same file extension, the .dot extension. In fact, you can use a template as an add-in or an add-in as a template.

The best way to use a Word template is as the basis for new documents. For example, you might create an invoicing template that employees could use to create customer invoices. When users create a new document based on the template, some of the information is available to them already — the name of your company, the date, and so on. All they must do is enter the customer name and the items purchased.

An add-in, on the other hand, provides custom tools that employees can use to work with all of their Word documents, similar to the custom features provided in the UsefulTools.dot add-in. When you load an add-in, it remains loaded for each document opened in Word until you explicitly unload it.

The following table summarizes the similarities and differences between Word templates and add-ins:

Custom document template	Add-in
A document template has the .dot file extension.	An add-in has the .dot file extension.
You can attach only one template to a document. (The Normal template always is loaded whether or not there is an attached template.)	You can load multiple add-ins at the same time.
A template is attached to a document at the time the document is created or after the document is created by clicking the Attach button in the Templates and Add-ins dialog box (Tools menu) and selecting the template.	An add-in is loaded by selecting the corresponding check box in the Global templates and add-ins list in the Templates and Add-ins dialog box.
A template can be used by any document, but it must be attached to each individual document.	When loaded, an add-in is available to all documents.
A template adds toolbar buttons, menu items, macros, styles, or boilerplate text to a specific document.	An add-in adds toolbar buttons, menu items, or macros to the Word environment. It does not display any boilerplate text or contain any custom styles.
The attached template can be accessed from VBA by using the AttachedTemplate property of a Document object. Templates are available in the Templates collection. The Templates collection contains the Normal template, the attached template (if any), and any loaded add-ins.	Add-ins in the Global templates and add-ins list, whether loaded or not, can be accessed from VBA through the Word AddIns collection. In addition, add-ins can be accessed through the Templates collection.
A reference to the template's VBA project is set automatically when you attach a template to a document. Therefore, you can call procedures in the template's project from the document's project.	No reference is set to an add-ins' VBA project when it is loaded. Therefore, although you can call procedures in the add-in project through toolbars, menu items, or macros, you cannot call directly a procedure in an add-ins' project from code running in a document unless you explicitly set a reference to the add-ins' project.

See also

Word Templates | The Normal Template | Custom Document Templates