A DOTX file is a template created by Microsoft Word, a word processing program. It contains default layouts and settings for a document, including styles, AutoText, toolbars, and macros. DOTX files are used as a baseline to create multiple .DOCX documents with the same formatting.

DOTX file open in Microsoft Word 2016 Most computer users are familiar with the DOCX file, which is the primary file type created by Word and one of the most popular document types opened and saved by word processors. DOTX files are very similar to DOCX files but are used to store templates. They contain much of the same information that DOCX files contain, including text, styles, and images. They may also be password-protected, which is useful for securing content in templates that are opened and edited by multiple people. DOTX files are convenient for users who need to make multiple Word documents with the same formatting and similar content, such as resumes, business plans, or newsletters. Word also comes with pre-loaded DOTX templates that allow you to create a document with many of the page layout elements, fonts, and styles in place. Depending on your need to customize the document you can simply open the DOTX file and place your new text. DOTX files replaced .DOT files with the release of Microsoft Office 2007 and are saved in the newer Open XML-based Word document format. They can be opened in Microsoft Word 2007 or previous versions of Word with Open XML component support.