How to Create Custom Templates in LibreOffice

Creating custom document templates in LibreOffice allows you to save predefined layouts, fonts, styles, and boilerplate content for future use, eliminating the need to reformat new documents repeatedly. This guide outlines the exact steps to design, save, organize, and set custom templates as default in LibreOffice Writer, Calc, or Impress.

Step 1: Design Your Document

  1. Open a new or existing document in LibreOffice.
  2. Configure all formatting elements you want to reuse, such as margins, page orientation, headers, footers, font families, and paragraph styles.
  3. Add any placeholder text, logos, tables, or standard legal disclaimers that should appear in every new document created from this template.

Step 2: Save as a Template

  1. Click on File in the top menu bar.
  2. Hover over Templates and select Save As Template… (or press Shift + F11 in LibreOffice Writer).
  3. In the dialog box that appears, enter a descriptive name for your template in the Template Name field.
  4. Select a category folder (such as My Templates, Business Correspondence, or Personal) to store your template.
  5. Click Save.

Step 3: Set as the Default Template (Optional)

If you want LibreOffice to automatically open this template whenever you create a new blank document:

  1. Go to File > Templates > Manage Templates… (or press Ctrl + Shift + N).
  2. Locate and right-click your saved template.
  3. Select Set as Default. A small checkmark icon will appear next to the template name to confirm it is now the default.

Step 4: Use Your Custom Template

  1. Open LibreOffice.
  2. Go to File > New > Templates… (or press Ctrl + Shift + N).
  3. Double-click your custom template from the list.
  4. A new, untitled document based on your custom template will open, leaving the original template file unchanged.