You're staring at a blank screen. The cursor blinks. It’s mocking you, honestly. You have a ten-page research paper due, and before you even write a single word of your actual argument, you have to wrestle with margins, running heads, and that specific hanging indent that seems to break every time you hit "Enter." This is the reality of academic writing. Most people think they can just wing it, but the American Psychological Association is notoriously picky about how a page looks. If your font is off or your page numbers are in the wrong corner, some professors will dock points before they even read your thesis statement.
That’s why everyone searches for an APA template Microsoft Word can just handle automatically.
Microsoft actually builds these into the software. You don't always need to go hunting on sketchy third-party websites to find a layout that works. But here is the kicker: Microsoft’s built-in templates are sometimes stuck in the past. If you’re using the 7th edition of the APA Manual—which is the current standard—some of the older templates still floating around Word’s "New Document" menu might be formatted for the 6th edition. That’s a recipe for a headache. You’ve gotta know which one to click.
Why Your Default Settings Are Ruining Your Grade
Standard Word documents are set to "Normal" style. Usually, that means Calibri 11pt font with 1.08 line spacing and a bit of extra space after every paragraph. APA hates that. APA wants 12pt Times New Roman (usually) and double spacing throughout. No extra gaps. No fancy stuff.
Getting the APA template Microsoft Word offers to behave requires a bit of a deep dive into the "Styles" pane. If you aren't using Styles, you're basically doing manual labor for no reason. Professional researchers don't manually bold every heading; they click a button. When you use a template, these styles should be pre-set. But—and this is a big but—you still have to verify them.
The 7th edition changed a lot of things. For example, student papers no longer require a "Running head" unless the instructor specifically asks for it. If you use an old template that forces a running head onto your title page, you’re instantly signaling to your professor that you haven't checked the latest guidelines. It’s a small detail. It matters.
Setting Up the 7th Edition Manually (The "No-Template" Method)
Sometimes the built-in search for "APA" in Word returns zero results because of a weird sync error with Office 365. It happens. If you can't find the official APA template Microsoft Word provides, you can build your own in about four minutes.
First, margins. They must be one inch on all sides. Word does this by default, usually, but check the "Layout" tab just to be safe. Next, the font. While APA 7th edition is more flexible now—allowing things like 11-point Calibri or 11-point Arial—most traditionalists still want 12-point Times New Roman.
The title page is where people lose it.
In a student version of the APA format, you need to center your title. Make it bold. Hit enter twice, then put your name. Then your department and university. Then the course number and name, the instructor's name, and the due date. All centered. All double-spaced. It looks sparse. It looks "wrong" if you’re used to high school essays, but this is the professional standard.
The Magic of the Hanging Indent
The References page is the final boss of formatting. You’ve probably tried to use spaces or tabs to make the second line of a citation indent. Don't do that. It will ruin the document if you change the font size later. Instead, highlight your references, right-click, go to "Paragraph," and under "Special," select "Hanging."
Where to Find the Official Microsoft Version
If you want the shortcut, open Word and click "File" then "New." In the search bar, type "APA."
You’ll usually see a few options. Look specifically for the one that mentions "7th edition." Microsoft partnered with the APA to ensure these are relatively accurate. Once it loads, it’s basically a "fill-in-the-blanks" situation. You click on the bracketed text—like [Project Title]—and type your own info.
But there's a trap.
The "References" section in these templates often uses Word's built-in "Citations & Bibliography" tool. While it's okay, it’s not perfect. It often struggles with weird sources like YouTube videos or social media posts, which are common in modern research. If you rely solely on the template's automation, you might end up with a weirdly formatted citation that doesn't quite meet the 2026 standards of digital sourcing.
Common Mistakes in Word's APA Layouts
I've seen it a thousand times. A student downloads an APA template Microsoft Word suggests, types their paper, and then realizes the page numbers are in the wrong place.
- Page Numbering: In the 7th edition, the page number goes in the top right header. Start with page 1 on the title page.
- The "Abstract" Myth: Many templates include an Abstract page. If you are an undergraduate, you probably don't need one unless your professor explicitly said so. APA 7th edition made this optional for student papers. If it's in your template, just delete that whole page.
- Bold Headings: Level 1 headings must be centered and bold. Level 2 headings should be flush-left and bold. Older templates sometimes use blue text or different fonts for headings. Change those back to black.
Nuance matters here. A template is a starting point, not a finished product. You’re the pilot; the template is just the flight plan.
Dealing with Tables and Figures
If your paper has data, Word's templates can be a bit clunky. APA style for tables is very specific: no vertical lines. None. You only use horizontal lines at the top and bottom, and under the column headings.
If you use the "Insert Table" function in Word, it will try to give you a grid. You have to go into "Table Design" and turn off the borders manually. It’s tedious. But it’s the difference between a paper that looks like it was written by a pro and one that looks like a middle-school project.
Leveling Up with Styles
If you're writing a thesis or a long-form report, you should learn the "Styles" gallery at the top of your Home tab.
When you use an APA template Microsoft Word creates, it usually maps "Heading 1" to the APA Level 1 style. This is huge. Why? Because if you use these styles, you can go to the "References" tab and click "Table of Contents," and Word will build the entire TOC for you instantly. If you just bold your text manually, Word has no idea what a heading is, and you’ll be stuck typing your Table of Contents by hand like it’s 1995.
Expert Tip: The Paragraph "Keep With Next" Feature
Ever had a heading appear at the bottom of a page, but the actual paragraph starts on the next page? It looks terrible.
To fix this in your APA document, right-click your heading, go to "Paragraph," then the "Line and Page Breaks" tab. Check the box that says "Keep with next." This links the heading to the paragraph below it. If the paragraph moves to a new page, the heading follows it automatically. Most templates don't have this turned on by default, but it’s a pro move that makes your document look incredibly polished.
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Essential Steps to Finalize Your Document
Before you export that file to PDF or hit print, you need to do a final sweep. Templates can be brittle. Sometimes moving an image or a table shifts everything.
- Check the Font: Ensure your "References" list didn't accidentally revert to Calibri when you pasted in a link.
- Double-Check Spacing: Make sure there aren't double spaces between sentences. APA 7th edition officially recommends one space after a period, not two.
- The Title Page: Ensure your title is in the top half of the page. It shouldn't be centered vertically; it should be centered horizontally about three or four lines down from the top.
- Hyperlinks: For 7th edition, URLs and DOIs should be live links (usually blue and underlined) if the paper is being read digitally.
Actionable Next Steps
Start by opening Microsoft Word and searching for "APA 7th Edition" in the new document gallery. If it's there, download it and immediately save a copy as your "Master Template."
Before you type a single word of your essay, go to the "Styles" pane and modify the "Normal" style to match your required font (likely Times New Roman 12). This ensures that any text you paste in won't bring over weird formatting from the web.
If the built-in template feels too restrictive, use the "Layout" and "Margins" settings to build your own shell, save it as a .dotx file, and you’ll never have to format an APA paper from scratch again. Verify your citations using a secondary tool like Mendeley or Zotero, as Word’s internal citation manager can sometimes lag behind the most recent manual updates.