How to create a template in Google Docs

Here's how to make your own or use a premade template.

By Jessica Lau · April 10, 2024

Google Docs logo, which is a simplified illustration of a piece of paper with a dogeared corner.

Google Docs comes with a handful of templates, but they're limited to things like book reports, basic business letters, and—surprisingly—a pet resume. But what if you're not looking to write a 10-page dissertation on why The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is the most depressing children's book on the planet? And your beloved pet chinchilla only needs so many resumes…

Create and autopopulate a Google Docs template

Here, I'll show you how to create your own template in Google Docs, so you can have it at the ready for any documents you need to write on a regular basis.

Table of contents:

How to use a premade template in Google Docs

When you're crunched for time—or, in my case, creativity—using an existing Google Docs template can be really handy. Here's how to find those premade templates.

    From your suite of Google apps, which can be found in your Google home screen, choose Docs. Or go directly to docs.google.com.

Portion of Google's home screen with the icon for the menu of Google apps highlighted and an arrow pointing to Google Docs.

<a href=Google Docs home screen with the "Template gallery" button highlighted. A row of premade Google Doc templates appear below the button." />

How to create a template in Google Docs with a Google Workspace account

If Google's premade templates just aren't cutting it and you have a Google Workspace account, you can also create a brand new template.

    From the Google Docs home page, under Start a new document, select Blank. Or, if you have an existing document you'd like to turn into a template, copy and paste it into a new document, and save it under a unique title. You'll need this later.

<a href=Google Docs home screen. In a row of Google Docs templates, an arrow points to the "Blank" template on the far left side of the row." />

Example of a new Google Docs template: a bio for adoptable docs. Arrows point to examples of the following placeholder text:

Template gallery in Google Docs for Zapier's Google Workspace account. An arrow points to the

A search window for documents stored in Google Drive. In the

A pop-up window to

To find your new template, go to Template gallery > [your organization's name].

How to create a template in Google Docs with a personal Google account

If you have a personal Google account—not a Google Workspace account for organizations—you can't save your Google Docs as an "official" template, but you can get creative.

  1. Create your document as if it's a template, and save it with a unique title. For example, Template: Weekly to-do list.
  2. When you need to use the template, open the file from your Google Drive.
  3. Click File >Make a copy.

Portion of a Google document titled

A pop-up window to

That's it. Just repeat those steps every time you need to use your makeshift template. To streamline the process of creating and editing templates, check out how to use variables in Google Docs.

Autopopulate your Google Docs templates with Zapier

Some templates are chock-full of TK fields (those fields that need to be filled out). And if your templates are so critical that you can't risk inputting information incorrectly, you'll want to automate the process.

With Zapier, you can connect Google Docs to thousands of other apps. This way, you can do things like automatically populate your template with info from a spreadsheet or form. Here are a few ideas to get you started.