.DOTM File Extension

A DOTM file is a document template created by Microsoft Word, a word processing program. It contains the default layout, settings, and macros for a document. DOTM files are used to create a new .DOCM document with embedded macros.

DOTM files are similar to .DOTX files, which are also created by Word. They are both used to store templates that are useful for creating multiple documents with the same baseline formatting and macros. However, DOTM files are used to save macros, which are a series of commands that are grouped together as a single command to automatically complete a task. They allow you to save time on operations that you repetitively perform such as data entry or computation.

You can record macros in Word that can be replayed to complete a task and assign them to a button in Word or keystroke, which allows you to conveniently run the series of steps. To record a macro, select View → Macros → Record Macro.

NOTE: DOTM files were introduced with Microsoft Office 2007 and can be opened in Word 2007 or a previous version of Word with Open XML component support.