How can I install a Word PC template on my Mac?

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Level 1

13 points

How can I install a Word PC template on my Mac?

I work from home, editing manuscrips on my Mac Mini. A client sent me a manuscript in an earlier version of Word for the PC. I have Office 2011 with Word for the Mac. I was able to open the file with no problem, and saved it as a .doc file. The manuscript was embedded in a template, but the headers for it are grayed out. The client sent me the template separately. I was able to open it and convert it to .doc format. The macros in the template came up with no problem. The client tried to tell me how to install it. After numerous tries, I installed it manually as a global add-in, Using Tools>Templates and Add-Ins, and putting the template document in the Global Add-ins box. It came up as a .dot file and I clicked on it to make it active. But when I click OK, I get an error message telling me the file does not exist.

Arrrgh!

Now I've got numerous copies of the same file in the My Templates folder. I'd like to get rid of them, and start from scratch, but don't know how.

Then I'd like to get this template running on the document the client sent so I can make some money!

Help!

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jan 5, 2013 4:27 AM

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Answer 1

Kurt Lang

Level 9

68,556 points

Jan 5, 2013 7:36 AM in response to Fiona6

Open the original Windows template again. If it insists on converting to a .doc file, let it. Do a Save As. In the dialogue box, change the drop down menu of the file type to save as either a Word Template (.dotx) , or Word 97-2004 Template (.dot) .

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Answer 2

Fiona6 Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 5, 2013 8:22 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Thank you, Kurt.

I tried saving in both formats, dotx and dot. The template file came up in both cases, but I couldn't see the headers in either version, so I assume the macro was stripped out. I didn't get the error message, though.

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Answer 3

Kurt Lang

Level 9

68,556 points

Jan 5, 2013 8:32 AM in response to Fiona6

Whoops! Missed the obvious choice before. In the same dialogue box, a choice further down the list to Save As is:

Word Macro-Enabled Template (.dotm)

Try that one.

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Answer 4

Fiona6 Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 5, 2013 11:11 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Kurt,

I just finished an unsuccessful two-hour help session with Microsoft, and after being transferred four times, the last person on the line told me the same thing! Wish I had seen your suggestion earlier.

The file looks great as long as I save it with a doc extension. Nothing else I have tried works. Thanks again for making the effort. I did a little more research and the template and manuscript files were made in Word 97 for the PC. Maybe I'll borrow a PC laptop (with Windows 7) and try that.

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Answer 5

Fiona6 Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 7, 2013 1:40 PM in response to Fiona6

Hi, Kurt,

I thought you'd like to know that I successfully installed the templates on my PC with help from the client.

Then I used almost the same process to successfully install them on my Mac.

I found that I needed to not convert the files or open them beforehand, so I made a new folder on the desktop, named it, and copied the original files into it, preserving their .dot extensions.

I opened the Finder and dragged the folder into the Documents section. Then I opened the template file I needed and inserted the native manuscript file into it by clicking File, New, New from Templates. Then I chose the native ms. from the Recent Documents section, not the Templates section. I Saved it As a Word file using another name, and it came up with a docx extension.

Lesson: Never save a third-party template in the Mac's Templates section.

It worked! Just to test it, I sent the Mac file to the client, who was able to open it on his PC.

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Answer 6

Kurt Lang

Level 9

68,556 points

Jan 7, 2013 2:54 PM in response to Fiona6

Lesson: Never save a third-party template in the Mac's Templates section.

Learn somethin' new every day. 🙂

Glad you figured it out. I was mostly guessing based on what looked like the most likely choices. I've never actually had need to create or use a supplied template.

Should have figured the solution would be to open the Windows created template as is, and keep it that way as your base file instead of trying to turn it into a Mac Office version of the file.

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