Objective 1.1: Manage Documents And Templates

  • 1.1.1 Modify existing templates.
  • 1.1.2 Copy custom styles, macros, and building blocks to other documents or templates.
  • 1.1.3 Manage document versions.
  • 1.1.4 Compare and combine multiple documents.
  • 1.1.5 Link to external document content.
  • 1.1.6 Enable macros in a document.
  • 1.1.7 Change default program settings
    • 1.1.7a Display hidden ribbon tabs.
    • 1.1.7b Change the application default font.

Manage document versions

Word uses its AutoRecover feature to save versions of a document as you write, insert content, and edit the document. You set the options related to automatically saving and recovering files on the Save page of the Word Options dialog box.

Screenshot of the Save page of the Word Options dialog box.

Configure AutoRecover options on the Save page of the Word Options dialog box

You can change the time interval for saving versions of your documents (the default interval is 10 minutes).

You can also change the default AutoRecover file location, moving it from the AppData folder in your user profile to a folder that’s more easily accessible, for example.

  • By default, Word also retains the last version that it saved automatically if you close a document without saving it. (These settings apply only to Word and not to other Office programs.)

You can manage and recover versions of documents on the Info page of the Backstage view. Versions of the file that were saved automatically are listed under Manage Document. Right-clicking an item in the list displays options that you can use to open that version, delete the version, or compare that version with the current one.

When you open an autosaved version, Word displays a message bar telling you that the version is a recovered file that is temporarily stored on your computer. On the message bar, you can click Compare to view the differences between the version you opened and the last saved version. Clicking Restore overwrites the last saved version with the version of the document you opened. You can also recover an unsaved version of a document from the Info page. Clicking the Recover Unsaved Documents option displays the Open dialog box and shows the contents of the Unsaved Files folder, which is part of the AppData folder structure in your user profile. When you open a file from the Unsaved Files folder, Word displays the Save As button on the message bar.


To restore an autosaved version of a document

1. With the document open, click the File tab.

2. On the Info page, under Manage Document, right-click an autosaved version of the file, and then click Open Version.

3. In the message bar, click Restore, and then click OK to confirm the operation.


To recover an unsaved version of a document

1. On the Info page for the document, click Manage Document, and then click Recover Unsaved Documents.

2. In the Open dialog box, select the file, and then click Open.

3. On the message bar, click Save As, and in the Save As dialog box, name and save the file.