There may be times when you start Microsoft Word you encounter the error: “Word cannot open this document template template name“. I have encountered other Word errors in the past, and while this error may not happen all too often, but when it does a similar problem can also produce other error messages when Word is started. The issue has to do with the compatibility of an add-in with Microsoft Word, and the steps below outline how to solve the problem.
Word Cannot Open this Document Template During Word Startup
As I mentioned above, the error is caused because an add-in is not compatible with Microsoft Word. To help find the troublesome add-in use the following steps:
Temporary Remove the Microsoft Word Add-ins
- Close all Microsoft Office applications that are currently running.
- Open the “Startup” folder for your version of Microsoft Office. The table below shows the location of the folder.
- Move all files that are in the “Startup” directory to another location on your hard drive.
- Next, open the following folder: “Documents and SettingsusernameApplication DataMicrosoftWordStartup” – replacing username with the name of your log in name.
- Move all files that are located in the above directory to another location on your hard drive.
- Restart Word to see if the “Word Cannot Open this Document Template” error disappears. If it does, continue to the next section.
| Office Version | Startup Folder Location |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice14Startup |
| 2007 | Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12Startup |
| 2003 | Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice11Startup |
| 2002 | Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice10Startup |
| 2000 | Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOfficeStartup |
Find the Add-in That Causes the “Word Cannot Open this Document Template” Error
Once the add-ins have been removed, and the “Word Cannot Open this Document Template” error has disappeared, it is time to find the add-in that is causing the problem. Use the following steps to find the problem add-in
- Close Microsoft Word.
- Begin to copy one file that you moved from one of the two “Startup” directories back to the proper “Startup” directory and restart Microsoft Word.
- After copying one file and restarting Word, if the “Word Cannot Open this Document Template” reappears, then you found the problem add-in.
The above steps should help you to solve the problem of the error message “Word cannot open this document template template name” being displayed when Word is started.
Tags: Microsoft Word, Software Errors
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on October 6, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Wow! Thank you SO much! I have seen this problem several times! Very detailed. Thanks
Scott
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on October 8, 2011 at 10:25 pm
No problem. I’m glad the post was helpful.
on October 6, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Hm.. Thanks a lot for sharing this. It’s a common problem for some people, including me I think. And it’s really annoying since I don’t really know how to handle it well.
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on October 7, 2011 at 5:48 am
Such problems are occasional but are very frustrating, thanks for sharing useful solution.
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on October 7, 2011 at 9:35 am
That’s true. I also got such trouble often. Thanks for the helpful guide.
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on October 9, 2011 at 10:18 pm
I do experienced this also, I thought my documents is not just compatible with the previous version of Word. Thanks for sharing the solution! I’ll try this one out.
on October 10, 2011 at 5:27 am
Great fix. The problem i often encounter is incompatibility between PCs. Happened to me the other day, took a .docx on a stick to my brother and even though we both had Word 2010 installed, the file opened with some cryptic writings instead of normal letters.
Any solution for this?
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on October 28, 2011 at 12:45 am
This is a very nice tips! Thanks a lot for sharing this, mate!
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on November 5, 2011 at 2:35 pm
This is one of the challenges I have been experiencing for some while ago before I got it solved. Thanks for retreating it again.
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on November 6, 2011 at 3:12 pm
No problem, Olawale. I’m glad I could help.
on November 24, 2011 at 1:55 pm
There is one plugin that I have not been able to uninstall. Is there any manual way to remove the plugin in Microsoft Word?
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on November 25, 2011 at 8:12 am
The steps outline above doesn’t work for a specific add-in? Which add-in are you having trouble uninstalling?
on November 25, 2011 at 2:21 pm
I have finally got it through from CCleaner uninstall app. It was the add-in that creates tabs instead of windows in Microsoft Office. Actually I had installed the trial version and after expiration a pop up about purchasing the add-in was coming whenever I started Microsoft Word. Thanks a lot for giving a helping hand.
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on May 12, 2012 at 2:47 am
I thought these problems had been more or less done away with by now? Anyway, the simplest solution is usually to pull a file converter off of the web, only takes half a minute.