Can I create a macro-free default template?

While the Normal template is a macro enabled (dotm) template, the default user templates folder is a trusted location so even it the template contains macros, starting Word will not cause the macro notification message to appear UNLESS, under File>Options>Trust Center>Trusted Locations, the user templates folder has been removed from the list of Trusted Locations OR the box for "Disable all Trusted Locations" has a check mark in it.

First, what Doug Robbins said... Believe it!

The Normal template should NOT be shared.
You can create all the templates you want, but normal.dotm will be the default template.

You could create another template and have a MACRO in a global template intercept the file > new command and start from that template. Word would still be connected to the normal template.

I suspect what is generating your messages may be a different Add-In stored in a non-trusted location.
How to find out whether any Word Add-ins have been installed

Thank you for your reply. I guess that I should have also mentioned that this is a hardened environment, meaning that every policy that could make my life, the user's life, and presumbly a hacker's life, easier, has been configured to make it harder.

 

So among others, "Allow Trusted Locations on the network" has been Disabled, and "Disable all trusted locations" has been Enabled.

 

In another twist, the virtual desktop infrastructure I'm using is XenClient Enterprise 5.0, with Personal Virtual Disks (PVD). So what I've found is that in the deployed virtual machine, there is a disk that is not visible and not accessible to the user (even if they have administrator privileges), and a other disks that are. This setup allows users to install their own software, but not to change any that were installed in the master image and deployed to them. I've done a search for the normal.dotm file in the user space and can't find it. I suspect that it's being accessed from the restricted disk space.

Is it possible to set up a personal "user templates" space?

Note that a macro-enabled template that has no macros should not trigger a security message. I have not tried this with normal.dotm because my normal template has had macros in it for decades. I have no reason, though, to think that normal.dotm would be an exception.

Again, look into Add-Ins as the culprit. There may be Add-Ins installed even though no one deliberately installed them. Many commercial programs install Add-Ins to Word without notice or warning as a part of their installation process.

When searching for normal.dotm it is important to search system and hidden folders as an advanced search.

...
So among others, "Allow Trusted Locations on the network" has been Disabled, and "Disable all trusted locations" has been Enabled.

...

I am assuming your macros security setting is to disable all macros with notification. This means that the user can permit a macro to run.

If the goal is to not allow macros you would want to also disable all macros without notification and not trust the vba project. In my environment, this would cripple Word.

I assume that your powers that be have also locked down the building blocks files and autocorrect. Possibly the spelling dictionary as well?

I may be off-base here, but this sounds like someone in charge who (1) does not understand Word and (2) doesn't use Word in this environment. This person may have much more on his/her plate than worrying about whether a word can be saved to a custom dictionary or boilerplate text saved for use in other documents, in which case it should be someone else's job to worry about that and educate the decision maker.

I feel strongly about this because I use a Dvorak keyboard arrangement and had to fight with IT to be allowed this modification (built into the OS) on my computer.

I would be looking for alternate employment. No way would I work in such an environment.