Forum Discussion
Word online Templates
You can get around this by uploading template documents (not dotx or dotm, but docx*) to an accessible 'brand' library and then asking users to open and then 'save as' from there. Making the library read-only will limit the potential for accidential change to the document.
*If you use 'dotx' or 'docm' the 'Edit in Browser' option is not available (at least in our tenant).
we have a central SharePoint template library and all users sync that library to their local machine and have Word point to that folder as personal templates. I m guessing that will work in other office programs
Hey Simon, thanks for the info!
Did you follow a 'best practice/how to' on this? Could be me ... but it seems like a simple thing that (certainly for the new experience) lacks a good instruction. Helpful links are always welcome ;-).
Sadly it's one I worked out myself in house - although I note another contributor suggested much the same thing.... The process I used was:
- Create New SharePoint Library - call it group templates or whatever
- Upload the required templates to library
- Give all users read only access to that library
- Send link to all users instructing them to sync that library to their PC's (which they do from SharePoint)
- Open file explorer on local machine and locate the newly synced folder
- Select that folder
- Click in address bar at top of explorer window to see the full file path
- Select all and copy path to clipboard
- Open Word
- Click on file/ options/ save
- Paste the path from clipboard to the field "default peronal templates location"
- Click OK and close Word
- Open Word
- Click on new then personal and all the templates should now be available
- Whenever templates are updated, new ones added or deleted everyone is seamlessly updated.
- My guess is that's its the same in Excel and Powerpoint
- Thanks Simon. Just one extra question: did you do it this way in Sharepoint or Sharepoint online?
We have an enterprise 365 subscription and until your question prompted a quick google search I did not know there were two offerings - bless MS for keeping it simple. However, my understanding is that the necessary file sharing/ sync capabilities are central to the structure of both so as long as your users all have access the outlined methodology should work. I'd set up one template in a library and get a user to see if they can connect as described....