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How to Create a Free Google Docs Template

Customize your templates in the free version of Google Docs

By Jack Wallen Jack Wallen Writer University of Indianapolis Purdue University University of Louisville Jack Wallen is a former Lifewire writer, an award-winning writer for TechRepublic and Linux.com, and the voice of The Android Expert. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 8, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Google Apps Docs Sheets Slides

What to Know

Choose a Google Doc Template: Go to the Google Docs Template Gallery, choose a template and make changes to it, then save it. Create a Template Folder: In Google Drive, choose New > Folder. Name the folder TEMPLATES and select Create. Add Custom Template: Go to New > Google Docs. Open the template. Select all (Ctrl+A), copy (Ctrl+C), and paste (Ctrl+V) to Google Doc. In Google Docs, you can use a template to simplify the document-creation process, Uploading your own customized template is easy with the paid version of Google Docs. It's a bit more involved with the free version, but we'll show you how to do it.

Choose a Google Docs Template

​ The only thing you must have is a Google account and a few custom templates to work with. What tool you use to create those templates doesn’t matter, as long as you can copy and paste the template content. This means you could create your templates from within Google Docs, or create them locally with a tool like LibreOffice. If you have created the templates with a local application, it’s important that you do not upload those template files to Google Drive. If you create the template files in Google Drive, you’ll only need to open the files, so you can copy and paste the content. You could also make use of one of the available templates within the Google Docs Templates Gallery. To do that, follow these steps: Open one of the templates from the Google Docs Template Gallery. Edit the template to suit your needs. Rename the template by selecting the current name (in the top left corner) and typing a new name. Use Enter/Return (on keyboard) to save the name. Close the file. ​ After closing the modified template file, it will automatically be saved in the main directory of Google Drive. Before you move on, it’s time to get a bit organized.

Create a Templates Folder

The first thing to do is to create a folder to house the templates. Sign in to your Google account and go to Google Drive. Make sure you’re in the root folder (not a subfolder). From within that directory, press New, and select Folder. Name this new directory TEMPLATES, and press CREATE. If you’ve created any new templates from the Google Template Gallery, you’ll want to click and drag them into the newly created TEMPLATES folder. Once you’ve done that, navigate into the newly created folder by double-clicking it.

Add Templates to the New Folder

It’s time to add your custom templates to the newly created folder. In the TEMPLATES folder, press New, and select Google Docs. This will create an empty Docs file. Next, open the template to be added with your local application (such as MS Office or LibreOffice). With that file open, select the entire contents of the template by simultaneously pressing Ctrl+A on your keyboard. Next, copy the selected text by simultaneously pressing Ctrl+C. Go back to your empty Google Doc and paste the template contents by simultaneously press Ctrl + V on your keyboard. With the content pasted, rename the new template (in the same way you did earlier). Congratulations, you now have a new template to use.

Using Your Custom Templates

You might think using your newly added templates is as simple as opening one and filling in the necessary blanks. That’s not the case. Instead, follow these steps: Navigate into your TEMPLATES folder. Right-click the template you want to work with. Press Make a copy. This will create a copy of the template you want to use. The new document will appear in the TEMPLATES folder and the filename will start with Copy of. Right-click the file name, and press Rename. Give the document a unique name, and you can then open it and begin adding content. Since you made a copy of the original document template, the template is still intact and can be copied as many times as needed. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Open Google Docs How to Copy a PowerPoint Design Template to Another Presentation How to Use Google Sheets How to Create a Free Google Slides Template How to Move Google Docs From One Drive to Another How to Plan and Create WordPerfect Templates How to Use APA Format in Google Docs How to Save and Use Messages as Templates in Apple Mail How to Add a Hyperlink in a Google Doc How to Access Google Docs Trash How to Share and Collaborate With Google Drive How to Create a Google Sheets Template How to Copy Folders in Google Drive How to Make a Brochure in Microsoft Word How to Unshare a Google Doc How to Alphabetize in Google Docs Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies