Are there changes you find yourself making to new Word documents all the time or nearly all the time? Does your lawyer like his letters in Arial rather than Times? Do those inch-and-a-quarter default side margins give you fits? Well, you’re in luck, because there is a way you can permanently change what you get when you select, File, New, Blank document.

On the hard drive of every PC with Microsoft Word installed, there resides a file called “Normal.dot.” Anytime you start a new document that isn’t based on another existing document (including some templates), Normal.dot determines all the initial formatting of that document.

The great news: Normal.dot (also known as the Normal template) is not the untameable beast it may seem. You can track it down, pin it to the ground, and make it do — or even say — whatever you want. No tranquilizer dart required.

For today’s example, let’s change those pesky default 1.25″ side margins to the standard 1″.

First, find where Normal.dot lives on your computer:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\

Once you’ve located Normal.dot, open it by right-clicking and selecting “Open.” Don’t open it by simply double-clicking; all that will do is start a new, blank document.

When you have Normal.dot open, check your window title to ensure it says “Normal.dot” and not just “Document1.” This way, you can be certain you’re actually editing your Normal template.

Next, change the side margins just as you would in any other document. (File, Page Setup, Margins tab) Then, save the document and exit Word. Next time you start Word, your margins will default to 1″.

Manipulation of Normal.dot can give you much-needed power over how your Word documents look by default, saving you thousands of keystrokes. You can change your fonts, colors or line spacing, or insert page numbering, or even a watermark or text — anything you want to see on every new document you create. (It’s best to keep your tweaks simple until you’re fully comfortable with the process.)

NOTES

• If you edit your Normal template and then later change your mind about the edits, no worries. Simply rename the file, and, next time you start Word, a new, default Normal.dot will automatically be created.
• Changes you make to your Normal template will be reflected not only in new, blank documents, but also in any new documents you start using another template that is based on Normal. For instance, if you use a fax cover sheet template that’s based on Normal, then the next new fax cover sheet you create will incorporate the formatting changes you made to your Normal. And when I say “template” here, I mean that in the technical sense: a template that is accessed through File, New Document, Templates (file name ends with “.dot”). If you have templates that are actually just Word documents you continually dupe and revise, they will not be affected by changes you make to Normal.dot.
• Your firm’s IT staff might prefer that you didn’t mess with your Normal template, because it might interfere with their ability to troubleshoot documents for you.