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Database Functionality (Base)
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Charts and Diagrams
Macros and Scripting
Office Installation
Common Help Topics
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Manage Templates

The Template Manager dialogue box makes it easy to manage templates and allows you to start new documents using templates.

To access this command...

Choose menu File - New – Templates.

Choose menu File – Template – Manage Templates.

Enter Ctrl +Shift+N in any Office module.

Press the Templates button in the Start Centre.

Select any template type from the Templates button of the Start Centre.

Templates save editing time by starting new documents with pre-filled contents and formatting. The Template Manager allows you to access and organise templates in Office.

Office comes with a set of built-in templates that can be used to create documents, presentations, spreadsheets or drawings. You may use templates available in the template manager, create your own templates or browse online for additional templates.

Make use of categories to organise your templates. Create new templates or download templates and organise in the Template Manager. Use templates to save time for repetitive documents.

Main Window – Template Choices

Previews of available templates show up in the main window based on your search and filtering choices. Double-click on any template icon to open a new document with the contents and formatting of the template.

Choose Thumbnail View or List View, at the bottom left, to change how the templates are displayed.

Thumbnail View

Listview

To show templates from another folder in the My Templates category, choose Tools - Options - Office - Paths, select Templates, press Edit, then press Add to open the file dialogue box for selecting the folder to add.

You may search for a template by entering text in the search box at the top left. The Main window shows the templates found.

Filter

You may filter for: All Applications, Text Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations or Drawings by choosing an option from the drop-down box at the top-centre. The main window displays the filtered templates.

Categories

Categories are folders where you place your templates. All templates are placed in a category, and can only be placed in one category. You may choose from the default categories: All Categories, My Templates, Business Correspondence, MediaWiki, Other Business Documents, Personal Correspondence and Documents, Presentations or Styles. You may also create new categories for your personal use. Press Manage at the top right corner of the Template Manager, then select New Category to create a new category.

It is possible to move user-defined templates and copy built-in templates to another category. Use the Move option, found by right-clicking an individual template.

Categories inside a category are not allowed.

Manage

Press Manage at the top right corner to open the Manage menu. The options are: New Category, Import, and Extensions. If a template is set as default, then the option Reset Default appears. If a user-defined category is selected, then Rename Category and Delete Category also appear.

New Category

If you want to create a new category to place a template, then select this option.

New Category

Reset Default

This option appears only if you have set a template as default. Use this command to remove that setting. Use Filter to specify which application template will be reset. Select All Applications in Filter to reset templates for all applications.

Import

If you want to import one or more templates into the Template Manager, then select Import, choose the Category where the imported templates should be placed, then select the files to be imported.

Import

Extensions

To browse for more templates online, choose Extensions to open a search window. You can also search for templates at https://extensions.libreoffice.org.

Extensions

Actions with Individual Templates

Open

Select a template in the main window and right-click and then choose Open, press Enter or double click to open a new document using that template.

You can also use the Open button on the bottom right to open a new document using the selected template.

Open

Edit

Select a template in the main window and right-click and then choose Edit to edit the template. For built-in templates, it is possible to edit a copy.

Edit

Set as Default

Select a template in the main window and right-click and then choose Set as Default to set the template as the default template. This will cause a green tick to appear next to the selected template and the template will automatically load when a new document is created using the matching application.

Set as Default

Rename

Select a template in the main window and right-click and then choose Rename to rename the template. This will cause a dialogue box to appear where a new name may be chosen for the template. Type in the name and then choose OK or choose Cancel to revert to the name that is already set.

Rename

Delete

Select one or more templates to delete in the main window and press the Delete key, or right-click then choose Delete to delete the selected template(s). A dialogue box will appear requesting confirmation. Choose Yes to delete or No to cancel.

Delete

Built-in templates cannot be edited, renamed or deleted.

Move

If you want to move templates to a different category, then choose a template, or use Ctrl+click to select additional templates, then right-click and choose Move to open a dialogue box, where you can choose to move your selection to a different category or to a new category. Built-in templates cannot be moved, but copies can be created in other categories.

Move

Export

Choose a template in the main window, or use Ctrl+click to select additional templates, and then right-click and select Export to export your selection to a folder on your computer.

Export

To move or export all templates in a Category, press Ctrl+A, then choose Move or Export.

Examples

Example 1 – Creating a Business Letter

  1. Open Office Writer

  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+N or choose File - New - Templates to open the Template Manager

  3. Type “business letter” into the search box

  4. Choose one of the templates from the main window by double-clicking on it or select and press Enter.

  5. A new document using that template is created in a new instance of Office Writer

  6. Change text and logo as needed

Example 2 – Import Template – Personal Budget Spreadsheet

  1. Open Office Calc

  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+N or choose File - New - Templates to open the Template Manager

  3. Click on Manage and choose Extensions to browse for online templates.

  4. Search for the Personal Budget Template, then download it

  5. Open Template Manager and choose the Import button

  6. Select a category to save the new template in, for example, My Templates, and press OK.

  7. Browse to the folder where you downloaded the template, select it and press Open

  8. The Template is now available in the category you chose.

Example 3 – Office Impress – Presentation Template

  1. Open Office Impress

  2. The Template Manager opens automatically when you open Office Impress

  3. Choose a template for your presentation, filter by categories or search

  4. You may also use the context menu, import a template, or search online for a template.

  5. A few features in the Template Manager are not available when first opened automatically. After starting Office Impress you may run the Template Manager again to access all features.