How do I define and apply my own Default Format to existing/imported documents?

In the hopes of avoiding the extreme annoyance of the sudden unwanted and uninvoked imposition of bullets, font, font size and other junk formatting changes whilst creating a LO document I have followed advice [on this and other forums] to create my own default format.

For some reason it appears not be called a default format and is a ‘Template’ Which I have created through ‘File’>
‘Templates’ .

I can access this ‘template’ through ‘File’>‘Templates’ but I can’t apply it to any of my [existing or imported] documents. Advice also says to go to F11 “Styles and Formatting“, but there is no trace of the Default Format I created as required through ‘File’>‘Templates’.

This is the best I have found regarding your problem, and the news is not good as of this writing. I don’t know if the extension is viable in LO 5, but it would seem not. As far as i know, that leaves us with pasting content into new documents.

Good news, it seems. I just installed v. 1.2.7b of the Template switcher extension, and it does appear to work on LO 5 (linux). It changed the listed template at document properties

On the Sidebar, with Styles & Formatting selected there is an option to load styles, that allows import formatting styles from another document or template into the current document.

https://help.libreoffice.org/index.php?title=Writer/Load_Styles&Language=en-US&System=WIN&Version=5.1#bm_id3154555

image description

Advice much appreciated however I am operating LO4.2.8.2 under Linux Ubuntu 14.04.

Since the total disaster of bugs 81633, 86754 etc wrecking many days of spreadsheet work when I took LO4.2.6&7 I am VERY reluctant to trust anything originating from LO unless it’s offered by Ubuntu Update Manager.

SO solution 1 will need to wait till Ubuntu feel that LO5.n.n has been properly tested.

Solution 2 is helpful advice. The steps work but it doesn’t import the requested template onto existing documents in 4.2.8.2.