When I create templates in Word or Excel and I save the template,
Office defaults to the template folder on my PC.  It also defaults to
this folder when I go to File -> New to open a template.
My company would like to have similar access to a shared template
folder that is on the server. Is there any way to change the default
to go to a server location?

Hi jimwest,

There are four categories of templates in MS Word: 
 - User Templates Location
 * Workgroup Templates Location
 - Advertised and Installed Templates Location
 - Non-File-Based Templates Location 

Workgroup Templates:
"This collection of templates is available to a group of people (e.g.,
members of a department). It is stored on a drive available to the
group."

SETTING DEFAULT:

"To set a default file location for workgroup templates:
1. Choose Tools and then select Options.
2. On the File Locations tab, select Workgroup Templates, and then click Modify.
3. Browse to the folder on your network where the workgroup templates are located.
4. Click OK to close the Modify Location dialog box, and then OK again
to close the Options dialog box."
http://www.otsi.com/07How/word2/index/entries/2502.htm

"You can set your own location with Tools  |  Options  |  File
Locations . Click on the Workgroup templates line and then the Modify
button. Enter the path to the location you?ve chosen. Now, when the
New dialog box appears, templates from this location will appear on
the General tab."
http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/words/autotools/step-templates.htm

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ADDITIONAL LINKS OF INTEREST:

Template Central:
"Several settings in Word's File Locations dialog box (Tools, Options,
File Location tab) also apply to other Office applications. If you
change the location of the Templates or Workgroup Templates folder in
Word, that change applies to Excel and PowerPoint as well. By
specifying a network location for the Workgroup Templates folder, you
can make sure individual users always have access to the most current
corporate templates?any Word, Excel, or PowerPoint template in the
Workgroup Templates folder will automatically appear in the New dialog
box of all three apps."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1551321,00.asp

Pulling Together With Workgroup Templates:
"To share templates among a group of co-workers, they must be stored
as workgroup templates on your local area network (LAN)."
"Enabling workgroup templates is a two-part process. The first step is
creation of a centralized folder on your LAN to hold the shared
templates, and for this you need the help of your network
administrator."
"The second step in enabling workgroup templates is telling each
user?s copy of Office where on the LAN the workgroup templates folder
is located. This task is best accomplished by your administrator on a
centralized basis for all machines."
http://www.state.me.us/newsletter/april2004/pulling_together_with_workgroup.htm

"Did you know that Microsoft Word includes a feature called "Workgroup
templates?" This is a rarely-used but powerful feature that allows
everyone at a company to plug into a single source for templates. By
setting up Workgroup templates for your company, you can help make
access to documents easier and more efficient."
http://www.stc-sd.org/newsletter/december_2003/helpfultips.htm

Template Basics in Microsoft Word: Workgroup Templates:
"The Workgroup Templates Folder is a second top-level folder used to
store document templates. (As with the "User Templates Folder", 
"Workgroup Templates Folder" is a description, not a necessarily a
name.) There is no default name or location for the Workgroup
Templates Folder. I call mine "Shared Templates" and it is kept on the
server in a folder that is mapped as the "G:\" drive by the network.
(And at home I use the assign command to map a folder in the same way
so that I can transfer work back and forth.)
This is set up the same way as the Templates folder except that the
folder is in a location accessible to all users (perhaps as
read-only). Like the Templates folder, folders established in the
Workgroup Templates folder will show up as Tabs when you use the File
=> New command (Word 2000 requires at least one template in the folder
for it to show up). Once you have created a Workgroup Templates
folder, you need to modify the settings for each user in Word:

    Tools => Options => File Locations (tab)

This should be a different folder than the User Templates folder even
if on the same computer. For an example of templates designed for
placement in Workgroup Folders look at any of the Sample Forms listed
under additional materials. If it is on the same computer as the User
Templates folder, it should be in the folder that holds the Templates
folder, not in the Templates folder. This folder is normally the
Microsoft Office folder.

The User Templates and Workgroup Templates folders (and their
subfolders) are the usual location for document templates. Note that
these locations are set initially by the Office Setup program
(possibly using network administration policies). You can change the
location of your user and/or workgroup templates folders but doing so
changes it for all Office programs, not just Word. There is one kind
of template, though, that should not be in either of these templates
folders, the global template..."
http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm#Workgroup

Windows XP:
Template Location
Template Sharing
http://www.uwec.edu/help/WordXP/AUTO-tmploc.htm

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please post a
clarification request before closing/rating my answer and I'll be
happy to respond.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used:

"Workgroup Templates" excel
"Workgroup Templates" word
"Workgroup Templates Location"
office 2000 Setting the Default Shared Templates Location

Thanks for the great answer. Very detailed! I've tried it already and it works.