Free Purchase Order Template for Word (.docx)
A purchase order is the document a buyer sends a seller — what's being ordered, how many, at what price — written before anything ships, which makes it the opposite of an invoice: there, the seller asks the buyer to pay. This page has the Word version of our free purchase order template, with the same standard and blanket layouts as the main template page, as editable .docx files. It's the version to pick when you want to change how the document looks — add a logo, reword the terms, adjust the table — rather than have the totals add themselves up. No sign-up, no email, no watermark.
Download the purchase order template for Word
Standard purchase order
One order, specific items and quantities, one requested delivery date. This is the one most people need.
Blanket purchase order
Agreed prices and terms across a period, drawn down as you order — a validity window and a not-to-exceed amount instead of one delivery date.
Every download is free — no email, no sign-up, no watermark. The Word file also opens in Google Docs.
Prefer PDF, or a version that does the sums for you? Both are on the main purchase order template page — the Excel one is here.
Editing the Word file: adding and deleting table rows
Everything on the page is a table, including the parts with no visible borders — that's what keeps the layout from drifting when you edit. Four moves cover nearly everything you'll want to do:
- Add an item row. Click in the last cell of the last item row and press Tab — Word adds a new row with the same formatting. Or right-click any item row › Insert › Rows Below. The table grows and the totals block stays put beneath it.
- Delete an item row. Select it, right-click › Delete Rows. Don't just clear the text: an emptied row still prints as a blank line in the middle of your order.
- Edit the address blocks. From (Buyer), Vendor, Ship To and Bill To are a two-by-two table. Change the text inside the cells; leave the cell borders where they are, or every order you print will line up differently. And keep your own details in From (Buyer) — on a purchase order the buyer issues the document, which is the opposite of an invoice.
- Fill in the totals by hand. Word doesn't do arithmetic: add up the line amounts for the subtotal, then enter the tax you've agreed with the vendor — the template works no tax out for you. If you'd rather the file did the adding, use the Excel version; the layout is the same.
If the order spills onto a second page, delete unused item rows first — a purchase order should be one page. Add a logo by clicking in the header area (Insert › Pictures); keep it under an inch tall or it pushes everything else down.
What goes where on the page
The layout follows the purchase order everyone's accounts payable team already knows how to read: the PO number and dates top right; four address blocks — From (Buyer), Vendor, Ship To, Bill To — then one item table with description, quantity, unit price and amount; totals bottom right; Terms and Authorised by at the foot, where the signature records who committed the money.
What to write in each of those boxes — and what goes wrong when they're left vague — is covered field by field on the main purchase order template page, along with a filled-in example.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add rows without breaking the layout?
Press Tab in the last cell of the last item row and Word adds a matching row — that's the whole trick. If the layout does drift, it's almost always because a row was cleared instead of deleted, or a cell border was dragged; delete whole rows and leave the borders alone and the file keeps its shape indefinitely.
Should I send the vendor the .docx or a PDF?
A PDF. The .docx is your working copy: once the order is ready, File › Save As (or Export) and choose PDF, so the vendor gets a file that opens identically everywhere and can't be edited on their side. Keep the Word file for the next order — change the number, the date and the lines, and it's done.
Should I use the Word or the Excel version?
Word, if what you care about is how the document reads and looks — logo, wording, layout. Excel, if you'd rather line totals and the subtotal add themselves up while you type. The fields and both layouts are identical, so you can switch any time without the vendor noticing a thing.