Free Microsoft Word newsletter template
Download the free .docx below and open it in Word. Replace the bracketed text, swap the grey boxes for your photos, then save it as your own Word template (File, Save As, Word Template) so every issue starts from the same layout. Send it as a PDF, or paste it into an Outlook email. More free Word templates by audience and schedule are listed below.
Last reviewed October 22, 2026
Get the template
Word file (.docx), about 40 KB. Opens in Google Docs, Microsoft Word and Pages. Free, no email needed.
One page: a colored masthead, a hello, a main story with a photo, "Coming up" and "Quick notes" side by side, a spotlight, one thing to do this month, and how to reach you.
Every free Word template we offer, each with example copy written for that group:
How to fill it in, in Word
- Open the file. If Word shows a yellow Protected View bar, select Enable Editing.
- Click on any bracketed text, like [Your Organization], and type over it.
- Photos: click inside a grey box, delete the note, then Insert > Pictures > This Device. Drag a corner to resize.
- Colors: click inside the colored masthead or a shaded box, open the Table Design tab, and pick a new color under Shading.
- Links: select the words and press Ctrl + K (Cmd + K on a Mac).
- Keep the footer: your mailing address and how people can stop getting it. See our email newsletter rules.
Save it as your own Word template
Once the layout looks the way you want, with your name and colors but no monthly news, save it as a template so you never overwrite it:
- Windows: File > Save As, then in the file type list choose Word Template (*.dotx). Word saves it to your Custom Office Templates folder. Start each issue from File > New > Personal.
- Mac: File > Save as Template. Start each issue from File > New from Template.
How to send a Word newsletter
- As a PDF. File > Save As and choose PDF, then attach it. The layout stays exact, but readers have to open an attachment, often on a phone.
- Pasted into an email. Select everything (Ctrl + A), copy, and paste into a new Outlook email. It usually pastes well into Outlook; other email apps may shift the layout. Send yourself a test first. Our Outlook newsletter template page shows how to save it there as a template.
Either way, put your list in Bcc. For more than a few dozen people, sending from a personal account means no unsubscribe link, no record of who read it, and a good chance of landing in spam.
Or skip the doc
Word makes a nice page. Email is a different job: it has to read well on a phone, reach the inbox and let people unsubscribe.
With MailWild you tell it your news in a few lines, add your photos or a YouTube link, and it writes the whole newsletter in seconds. You don't start from the doc. Drafts come back in Clean, a plain modern look in your brand color, and one click shows the same draft in Shop Talk, the look below, or any other look. Your words and photos stay put. You can also pick a look first and have MailWild fill it in.
- Edit anything in a simple block editor: photos, buttons, two-column rows and color bands. It looks right on phones automatically.
- Send from your own address at your own domain, signed so inboxes can verify it. Schedule it for later or send a free test to yourself first.
- Unsubscribes are handled. A one-click unsubscribe link and your mailing address are added to every email, and bounced addresses are removed.
- See who opened. Each newsletter shows delivered, opens, clicks and unsubscribes.
- Bring your list. Import a spreadsheet (CSV or Excel) or paste a list of emails. Duplicates and bad addresses are set aside for you.
The templates come with the software. Setting up is free: import your list, write, connect your domain and send yourself tests. You pay when you send to your list, priced by list size, with a 14-day money-back guarantee on the first payment. There is no free plan. See pricing.
Questions
Does Word have newsletter templates?
Word has templates of its own under File, New. The free template on this page is built for email newsletters: short sections, one photo per story, and a footer with your address and how to unsubscribe.
How do I save a Word document as a template?
On Windows, choose File, Save As, and pick Word Template (*.dotx) as the file type. On a Mac, choose File, Save as Template.
Can I email a newsletter made in Word?
Yes. Save it as a PDF and attach it, or copy it into an Outlook email, which usually keeps the layout. Test it on a phone first, and put your list in Bcc.
Will this Word template open in Google Docs?
Yes. In Google Docs, choose File, Open, Upload, then File, Save as Google Docs.