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That's exactly what I've done. I'm not sure how I could have stated it more clearly.

When it worked, saving a document in Word automatically preserved the document's format and when next creating a document it used that as its template by default (again, automatically). Somewhere that latter function got derailed, and I can figure no way to get it back.

I may be missing something, but it seems to me you are going about things the hard way. While I haven't used Word literally for decades, I have created tens of thousands of document pages using it, and the basic architecture hasn't changed that much. (I just verified LibreOffice works the same way.)
I. CREATE A TEMPLATE BY...

1. Open Word (or LibreOffice)
2. Opening or creating a correctly formatted document with all the desired style and format settings
3. Delete any text to will be changed or replace it with filler text
4. File > Templates > Save as Template and save it under My Templates in the Template Library (Word knows where that Template Library is located)
5. Close the file (⌘W)

II. TO USE THE TEMPLATE...

1. Open Word (or LibreOffice)
2. File > Templates
3. Select your template from the My Template folder in the Template Library
4. File > Save or Save as... (since you are using a template the default save type will not be a template, but a Document -- this prevents accidentally editing your template, as you are now editing a new document file.)
5. Edit and save the new document in the normal manner.

This way your templates are out of sight in Word's Template Library, protected from accidental loss or damage, quickly and easily recalled when needed, and don't occupy valuable desktop real-estate, or use CPU cycles maintaining them on the desktop.

Sorry, but I'm confused.

What, then, is "this workaround for the time being?"

In my mind, a template is a blank/empty document that is pre-formatted and ready to be used.

Does that coincide with what you're calling a template?

Are you saying that if you save a document in MS Word and then re-open the same document, it has lost its formatting?

or perhaps you are saying the default document template has gone back to the factory default settings?

[+ artie]

Please go back to my original post. Something went awry and I can't figure out what. But I cannot establish a default template with Word; it keeps coming up with something which is totally foreign to me. Therefore I created a "template" (= blank document) with the formatting characteristics I desire (and had before) and placed it on the Desktop. When I need a blank/new document, I open the "template", save it immediately with a new name (which in turn places it on the Desktop in addition to the "template"). And off I go. That's the once and future "workaround"; it only takes a couple clicks, et voilà.
Using LibreOffice takes several more clicks. Ergo timewise I'm better off with my workaround.

I trust that the above explanation clarifies the apparent confusion.

Unless someone has "the solution" to get back the proper functioning of Word, it's time to move on. I've reached my limit futzing around with the thing.

Your explanation does clarify my confusion.

As far as I can see, your workaround is a better option than LibreOffice per se, possibly even a better option than your original MS template method, but maybe not as good an option as your workaround applied to LO rather than MS Word...your decision.

The only way I can see back to square one is for you to completely rid your Mac of all vestiges of MS Word (et.al.?) and reinstall from scratch, and to that end, I composed a great step by step which I managed to lose, but if you're so inclined I'll recreate.

Many thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just muddle along with what I've got at the moment. At least that is working tolerably.
Plus the fact that MS Office 2011 is so archaic, I might as well wait until it obliterates itself ... or my iMac of similar vintage does.
C'est la guerre et la vie.

And yet another PITA problem:

After all the messing around with MS Word documents and adjusting the toolbar icons, I have lost the icon captioning [which verbally describes what the icon does and] which used to accompany selection of every icon when hovering the cursor over same. And (as usual) I can find no way of fixing the problem.

Any thoughts?

Santa's lumps of coal are really getting annoying. Time for another couple fingers of Alibi vodka, taking this year's world's best neutral vodka award.

I found a document that applies to word 2016 and may be applicable to 2011 as well: <https://www.officetooltips.com/word_2016/tips/turn_on_off_document_tooltips.html>

Alibi's only available in a small part of Canada. No wonder I've never heard of it.

That document doesn't apply to Word 2011 BUT ... I was able to discover a similar one and by trial and error restore that tool tip function.
So, once again, many thanks!

In the end analysis that old admonition/adage LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE proves prescient and accurate. Had I only heeded same from the start.

Good news!

How tooltips got turned off in the first place shall forever remain a mystery!

OS prefs have long been known to reset themselves automagically, but I don't recall it ever happening with an app before.

Gathering opinion ...

I'm contemplating downloading MS Office 2016 (which is apparently the last version which will work with Mac OS 10.11) in order to have an app which will dispense with the corruption in MS Office 2011 (in particular Word — I haven't had occasion to use Excel or PowerPoint in over a decade).

Is it safe to do so via Mac Update? Or is there a potential/real threat in so doing?

Prior (or subsequent?) to doing so, I plan to run AppCleaner on MS Office 2011. Would that be advisable?

I make it a practice to download software directly from the developer, not a third party. I could not find a way to download Office 2016 directly from Microsoft. That said, I can't say that MacUpdate is safe or not, but personally, I would not do it.

I'm not sure what the "Subscription/$69.99" thing is about, but MacUpdate redirects you to <https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...013-7c695b06-6d1a-4917-809c-98ce43f86479>

I've got no idea how 365 works or what you're getting yourself into.

I just checked eBay, and there are brand new 2016 suites available for $35-40.

I've bought Office on eBay a few times and never had any problems, and the eBay guarantee covers you if you run into any.

[and to jchuzi]

Yeah, I had my doubts, and further investigation yielded the results you mentioned.

Yet another ± fool's errand. You'd think I'd heed my own cautionary advice and let well enough alone.

Creeping into senility is sooo much fun. {snort}

Oops! I was looking at eBay US. eBay Canada is more expensive. Can you deal with US?

Is it just numbers of dollars? Could be the exchange....your buck is worth quite a bit more than ours. I recently bought $450 in American cash and it cost me more than $600 Canadian.

It's dollars, but I don't know if you can get shipping to Canada on the US site, and that may change everything.

There's at least one on the US site that's out of Canada.

I looked at my hard drive and found the installer for Office 2016. The file is 1.79 GB, too big to upload at my 10 Mbs upload speeds. However, I can put it onto a USB stick and mail it to you. My personal email is jchuzi (at) hvc (dot) rr (dot) com. Send me your mailing address and I will be happy to send it to you.

Many thanks -- most generous.
But I think that I'm (finally) going to follow my own advice and leave well enough alone.
Every time I futz with Word something unpleasant occurs. Life is too short -- and getting shorter every day that passes -- to get angrified about the foibles of Word and iMac.
Tra la.