Word: normal.dot - that's the reason
When you close Word, you are often asked about normal.dot and whether you want to save / over-save the normal.dot file. We explain what is behind normal.dot and how to properly close Word.
normal.dot in Word
normal.dot is the default template for the Word document that Word displays first when it is opened. Since Windows 10, it is stored in the following two file paths:
- C: \ Program Files \ Microsoft Office \ Templates \ 1031
- C: \ Users \\ AppData \ Roaming \ Microsoft \ Templates
Error closing Word: normal.dot
If you get an error message when closing Word and you want to save normal.dot, there can be several reasons. If you have not made any changes to the template yourself, you can safely do without it. To prevent the error from occurring in the future, proceed as follows:
- Open the "Word Options" in Word via "File". Depending on the version, this means only "options".
- Then click "Advanced" on the left and scroll down to the "Save" section.
- Now remove the checkmark in the checkbox "Confirmation before saving normal.dot".
Changes to the normal.dot template through add-ins
Various add-ins are also known for making changes to the Word template. Under "Advanced" you will find the section "Add-Ins". Remove the following add-ins here if they appear in the list:
- "Internet Postage" from Stamps.com
- Works Suite add-in for Microsoft Word
Deactivate further add-ins
- Below the list you will find "COM add-ins". Click the "Go" button to the right and deactivate all the add-ins found.
- Note: Make sure that your virus protection is active. The normal.dot error sometimes occurs when the Word file is infected with a macro virus. Therefore, run a virus scan if the other approaches are unsuccessful.
If you continue to receive the error message, you should completely reset Word.