# Start from an article template

_Category: Write articles_

Templates give your articles a head start and a consistent shape. Pick a ready-made structure, like a how-to guide or a troubleshooting flow, and fill in the sections instead of facing a blank page.

**Who can do this:** Owners, Admins and Editors · **Plans:** All plans

## Insert a template into an article

1. Click the arrow next to **Publish** (or **Update**) and choose **Insert template**.
2. Pick a template, for example **How-to guide**, and click **Use template**. Its blocks are added at the end of the article.
3. Replace the placeholder text with your own. Every block is editable.

![Screen recording. Open the menu next to Publish and choose Insert template. Pick a template, for example How-to guide. Click Use template, then fill in the sections.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/eugCxY3bi8abHwVcQZe7DSyg8Z2drrd1eWCQ7JsE.gif)
A template adds the structure; you add the words.

## Start a new article from a template

1. In an article you've saved, click **New** in the top bar and choose **From a template**.
2. Click **Use template** on the one you want. A new article opens in a new tab with the template filled in.
3. Give it a title, write it, and click **Save draft** to create the article.

## Templates you get

| Template | What it sets up |
| --- | --- |
| **How-to guide** | A "Before you start" list, numbered steps and a closing troubleshooting note in a callout. |
| **Troubleshooting flow** | The symptom, likely causes with a fix for each, and a callout pointing to support. |
| **Release notes** | What's new, improvements and fixes, each as a short list. |
| **Getting started checklist** | A task list that walks new customers through their first session. |
| **Policy page** | A plain-language summary, the scope, the details and a last-updated line. |
| **API reference section** | The endpoint, a parameters table and the response codes. |

These six work in every language, and nobody can change or delete them.

## Save your own template

1. Write or open an article with the structure you want to reuse.
2. Click the arrow next to **Publish** (or **Update**) and choose **Save as template**.
3. Enter a **Template name** and, if you like, a **Description (optional)**. Click **Save**.

Your template now appears for the whole team under **Insert template**, marked **Yours** for you. To build one from scratch, click **New template** in the template list, write it, and click **Save template**.

On a help center with more than one language, each template keeps a version per language. It saves the languages your article has content in, and you can only use it in those languages.

## Edit, rename or delete a template

In the template list, your own templates have buttons to rename them, edit their content and delete them. Only the person who created a template can change or delete it. Articles you already made from a template don't change when you edit or delete it.

## Related articles

- [Get to know the article editor](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/article-editor)
- [How to write help articles people actually read](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/how-to-write-help-articles)