Template Issues

How to Create Shared Word Templates for Your Organization

Aamir Naveed Akram Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to set up a centralized repository for shared Word templates (agendas, cover letters, memos) that can be accessed by employees on both Mac and Windows computers.

How to Create Shared Word Templates for Your Organization

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Mac and Windows
Scenario: Distributing standardized company document templates to all employees.
Observed behavior: Employees require a unified, easy-to-access location within their word processing application to pull official organization templates.

Before you start

Ensure you have SharePoint administrative privileges if you plan to use Microsoft 365 libraries, or verify that your company has a centralized, accessible network drive for the workgroup folder method.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a SharePoint Organization Assets Library (Microsoft 365)

The best approach for Microsoft 365 environments, allowing centralized template distribution across the company directly within Office apps.

By setting up an Organization Assets Library in SharePoint, users will see a new tab labeled with your organization's name when creating a new document in Word. This method requires a SharePoint Administrator to run PowerShell commands.

Create a SharePoint site and document library

Log into SharePoint as an administrator, create a new site (or use an existing one), and create a new Document Library specifically for your templates.

Upload your company templates

Save your standardized agendas, memos, and cover letters as Word Template files (.dotx) and upload them to the newly created SharePoint Document Library.

Configure via SharePoint Online Management Shell

Open PowerShell and connect to your SharePoint admin center. Run the 'Add-SPOOrgAssetsLibrary' cmdlet pointing to the URL of the document library you just created.

Access the templates in Word

Once the changes propagate (which can take up to 24 hours), employees can open Word, click 'File' > 'New', and select the tab bearing the organization's name to use the templates.

Create a SharePoint Organization Assets Library (Microsoft 365)

Propagation Time: It can take up to 24 hours for the new Organization Assets Library to appear in the Office desktop applications for all users.

Solution 2

Set Up a Shared Workgroup Templates Folder

A practical alternative for organizations not utilizing SharePoint, relying on a shared local network drive.

Share Templates with WPS Cloud

Create and Share Organizational Templates in WPS Office

WPS Office provides an intuitive way to create professional templates and share them seamlessly across your company. Using WPS Cloud, you can easily distribute standardized documents to employees on both Windows and Mac.

1. Design the company template: Open WPS Writer and design your company document, adding logos, headers, and standardized formatting.
2. Save as a template file: Click 'Menu' > 'Save As' and choose either 'WPS Template (.wpt)' or 'Microsoft Word Template (.dotx)'.
3. Upload to a WPS Cloud team folder: Save the template file directly into a designated shared team folder within your WPS Cloud workspace.
4. Access across devices: Team members can open WPS Office on their Mac or Windows devices, navigate to the shared cloud folder, and open the template to create new standardized documents.

100% compatible with Microsoft Word templates (.dotx and .dot)Cross-platform support for seamless use on Mac, Windows, Linux, and mobileBuilt-in WPS Cloud allows for easy team sharing and document syncingLightweight, fast application with a familiar and user-friendly interface

Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren't my shared SharePoint templates showing up in Word?

After an administrator sets up the SharePoint Organization Assets Library via PowerShell, it can take up to 24 hours for the new templates tab to propagate and appear in users' desktop Office applications. Ensure users are signed in with their organizational accounts.

What file format should I use for shared templates?

Always save shared templates as Template files (.dotx for Word or .wpt for WPS). This ensures that when an employee opens the file, the application creates a new, unnamed document based on the template rather than overwriting the original master file.

Can Mac users access the Workgroup Templates folder located on a Windows server?

Yes, as long as the Mac is connected to the company network and the shared Windows server drive is mapped in macOS (via SMB). Users can then set the Workgroup templates path in Word Preferences to that mapped drive.

Document & File Issues