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How to reset Word 2007/2010/2013 settings without reinstalling

If you have a generic Microsoft Word 2007/2010/2013 problem, or you just changed your default font, borders and/or page size and you can’t remember how to undo those changes, you can easily reset your settings back to default by deleting some files.

Please follow these steps:

  1. Close Word application;
  2. Delete Normal.DOTM and BuildingBlocks.DOTX: these files are rebuilt automatically next time Word is started.
    • Normal.DOTM and BuildingBlocks.DOTX usually reside in C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates (Username is your Windows profile name);
    • The default NORMAL.DOTM file used for new profiles can be stored in C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.
  3. Use regedit to delete HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Word\Data key: it will be rebuilt automatically next time Word is started.

The first picture shows you how to determine where Word is looking for Normal.DOTM, while the second one shows you the registry key to delete.

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Fulvio Sicurezza

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8 Comments

  1. Alecia
    Monday April 24th, 2017 at 06:48 PM — Reply

    Thank you!

  2. Carmeta E. Miller
    Wednesday March 21st, 2018 at 07:39 PM — Reply

    Trying to re-install Microsoft Office Word 2007 – 2016
    Thanks

    • Fulvio Sicurezza
      Thursday March 22nd, 2018 at 06:09 PM — Reply

      Why are you reinstalling? Something went wrong with settings reset?

  3. Dion
    Thursday May 10th, 2018 at 03:11 PM — Reply

    Thank you so much. This is working. But I instead delete the “Templates” folder 🙂

  4. Ashoke Mehta
    Sunday August 19th, 2018 at 03:52 AM — Reply

    Thanks, My problem has been solved.

  5. Ransith Nicholas
    Wednesday July 24th, 2019 at 09:13 AM — Reply

    This article is helped me to resolve my problem entirely. Thanks you very much. Good luck Admin…

  6. Jimi Hendrix
    Thursday March 5th, 2020 at 08:52 PM — Reply

    Excelent! Works 100%.. Thank you.!

  7. Santtosh Arya
    Wednesday July 21st, 2021 at 02:00 PM — Reply

    Thank you so much! You made this so easy…Ive been fretting about the change in my grid setting for so long…i finally decided to search online and your site was the first one and it solved the issue in less than 1 min…THANK YOU!

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