diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/files/template.py b/lib/ansible/modules/files/template.py
index 57bf68aab70..a14c90213a8 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/files/template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/files/template.py
@@ -17,92 +17,7 @@ DOCUMENTATION = r'''
 ---
 module: template
 version_added: historical
-short_description: Template a file out to a remote server
-description:
-- Templates are processed by the L(Jinja2 templating language,http://jinja.pocoo.org/docs/).
-- Documentation on the template formatting can be found in the
-  L(Template Designer Documentation,http://jinja.pocoo.org/docs/templates/).
-- Additional variables listed below can be used in templates.
-- C(ansible_managed) (configurable via the C(defaults) section of C(ansible.cfg)) contains a string which can be used to
-  describe the template name, host, modification time of the template file and the owner uid.
-- C(template_host) contains the node name of the template's machine.
-- C(template_uid) is the numeric user id of the owner.
-- C(template_path) is the path of the template.
-- C(template_fullpath) is the absolute path of the template.
-- C(template_destpath) is the path of the template on the remote system (added in 2.8).
-- C(template_run_date) is the date that the template was rendered.
 options:
-  src:
-    description:
-    - Path of a Jinja2 formatted template on the Ansible controller.
-    - This can be a relative or an absolute path.
-    type: path
-    required: yes
-  dest:
-    description:
-    - Location to render the template to on the remote machine.
-    type: path
-    required: yes
-  backup:
-    description:
-    - Determine whether a backup should be created.
-    - When set to C(yes), create a backup file including the timestamp information
-      so you can get the original file back if you somehow clobbered it incorrectly.
-    type: bool
-    default: no
-  newline_sequence:
-    description:
-    - Specify the newline sequence to use for templating files.
-    type: str
-    choices: [ '\n', '\r', '\r\n' ]
-    default: '\n'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  block_start_string:
-    description:
-    - The string marking the beginning of a block.
-    type: str
-    default: '{%'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  block_end_string:
-    description:
-    - The string marking the end of a block.
-    type: str
-    default: '%}'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  variable_start_string:
-    description:
-    - The string marking the beginning of a print statement.
-    type: str
-    default: '{{'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  variable_end_string:
-    description:
-    - The string marking the end of a print statement.
-    type: str
-    default: '}}'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  trim_blocks:
-    description:
-    - Determine when newlines should be removed from blocks.
-    - When set to C(yes) the first newline after a block is removed (block, not variable tag!).
-    type: bool
-    default: yes
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  lstrip_blocks:
-    description:
-    - Determine when leading spaces and tabs should be stripped.
-    - When set to C(yes) leading spaces and tabs are stripped from the start of a line to a block.
-    - This functionality requires Jinja 2.7 or newer.
-    type: bool
-    default: no
-    version_added: '2.6'
-  force:
-    description:
-    - Determine when the file is being transferred if the destination already exists.
-    - When set to C(yes), replace the remote file when contents are different than the source.
-    - When set to C(no), the file will only be transferred if the destination does not exist.
-    type: bool
-    default: yes
   follow:
     description:
     - Determine whether symbolic links should be followed.
@@ -112,24 +27,7 @@ options:
     type: bool
     default: no
     version_added: '2.4'
-  output_encoding:
-    description:
-    - Overrides the encoding used to write the template file defined by C(dest).
-    - It defaults to C(utf-8), but any encoding supported by python can be used.
-    - The source template file must always be encoded using C(utf-8), for homogeneity.
-    type: str
-    default: utf-8
-    version_added: '2.7'
 notes:
-- Including a string that uses a date in the template will result in the template being marked 'changed' each time.
-- Since Ansible 0.9, templates are loaded with C(trim_blocks=True).
-- >
-  Also, you can override jinja2 settings by adding a special header to template file.
-  i.e. C(#jinja2:variable_start_string:'[%', variable_end_string:'%]', trim_blocks: False)
-  which changes the variable interpolation markers to C([% var %]) instead of C({{ var }}).
-  This is the best way to prevent evaluation of things that look like, but should not be Jinja2.
-- Using raw/endraw in Jinja2 will not work as you expect because templates in Ansible are recursively
-  evaluated.
 - You can use the M(copy) module with the C(content:) option if you prefer the template inline,
   as part of the playbook.
 - For Windows you can use M(win_template) which uses '\\r\\n' as C(newline_sequence) by default.
@@ -142,6 +40,7 @@ author:
 - Michael DeHaan
 extends_documentation_fragment:
 - files
+- template_common
 - validate
 '''
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/windows/win_template.py b/lib/ansible/modules/windows/win_template.py
index b16bf2947b4..86898f24645 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/windows/win_template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/windows/win_template.py
@@ -13,108 +13,27 @@ DOCUMENTATION = r'''
 ---
 module: win_template
 version_added: "1.9.2"
-short_description: Templates a file out to a remote server
-description:
-     - Templates are processed by the Jinja2 templating language
-       (U(http://jinja.pocoo.org/docs/)) - documentation on the template
-       formatting can be found in the Template Designer Documentation
-       (U(http://jinja.pocoo.org/docs/templates/)).
-     - "Additional variables can be used in templates: C(ansible_managed)
-       (configurable via the C(defaults) section of C(ansible.cfg)) contains a string
-       which can be used to describe the template name, host, modification time of the
-       template file and the owner uid."
-     - "C(template_host) contains the node name of the template's machine."
-     - "C(template_uid) the owner."
-     - "C(template_path) the absolute path of the template."
-     - "C(template_fullpath) is the absolute path of the template."
-     - "C(template_destpath) is the path of the template on the remote system (added in 2.8)."
-     - "C(template_run_date) is the date that the template was rendered."
-     - "Note that including a string that uses a date in the template will result in the template being marked 'changed' each time."
-     - For other platforms you can use M(template) which uses '\n' as C(newline_sequence).
 options:
-  src:
-    description:
-      - Path of a Jinja2 formatted template on the local server. This can be a relative or absolute path.
-    type: path
-    required: yes
-  dest:
-    description:
-      - Location to render the template to on the remote machine.
-    type: path
-    required: yes
   backup:
-    description:
-    - Determine whether a backup should be created.
-    - When set to C(yes), create a backup file including the timestamp information
-      so you can get the original file back if you somehow clobbered it incorrectly.
-    type: bool
-    default: no
     version_added: '2.8'
   newline_sequence:
-    description:
-      - Specify the newline sequence to use for templating files.
-    type: str
-    choices: [ '\n', '\r', '\r\n' ]
     default: '\r\n'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  block_start_string:
-    description:
-      - The string marking the beginning of a block.
-    type: str
-    default: '{%'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  block_end_string:
-    description:
-      - The string marking the end of a block.
-    type: str
-    default: '%}'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  variable_start_string:
-    description:
-      - The string marking the beginning of a print statement.
-    type: str
-    default: '{{'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  variable_end_string:
-    description:
-      - The string marking the end of a print statement.
-    type: str
-    default: '}}'
-    version_added: '2.4'
-  trim_blocks:
-    description:
-      - If this is set to C(yes) the first newline after a block is removed (block, not variable tag!).
-    type: bool
-    default: no
-    version_added: '2.4'
   force:
-    description:
-      - If C(yes), will replace the remote file when contents are different
-        from the source.
-      - If C(no), the file will only be transferred if the destination does
-        not exist.
-    type: bool
-    default: yes
     version_added: '2.4'
 notes:
-  - Templates are loaded with C(trim_blocks=yes).
-  - Beware fetching files from windows machines when creating templates
-    because certain tools, such as Powershell ISE,  and regedit's export facility
-    add a Byte Order Mark as the first character of the file, which can cause tracebacks.
-  - To find Byte Order Marks in files, use C(Format-Hex <file> -Count 16) on Windows, and use C(od -a -t x1 -N 16 <file>) on Linux.
-  - "Also, you can override jinja2 settings by adding a special header to template file.
-    i.e. C(#jinja2:variable_start_string:'[%', variable_end_string:'%]', trim_blocks: no)
-    which changes the variable interpolation markers to  [% var %] instead of  {{ var }}.
-    This is the best way to prevent evaluation of things that look like, but should not be Jinja2.
-    raw/endraw in Jinja2 will not work as you expect because templates in Ansible are recursively evaluated."
-  - You can use the M(win_copy) module with the C(content:) option if you prefer the template inline,
-    as part of the playbook.
-
+- Beware fetching files from windows machines when creating templates because certain tools, such as Powershell ISE,
+  and regedit's export facility add a Byte Order Mark as the first character of the file, which can cause tracebacks.
+- You can use the M(win_copy) module with the C(content:) option if you prefer the template inline, as part of the
+  playbook.
+- For Linux you can use M(template) which uses '\\n' as C(newline_sequence) by default.
 seealso:
-- module: template
 - module: win_copy
+- module: copy
+- module: template
 author:
 - Jon Hawkesworth (@jhawkesworth)
+extends_documentation_fragment:
+- template_common
 '''
 
 EXAMPLES = r'''
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/doc_fragments/template_common.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/doc_fragments/template_common.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0e7dd883658
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/doc_fragments/template_common.py
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
+# Copyright (c) 2019 Ansible Project
+# GNU General Public License v3.0+ (see COPYING or https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt)
+
+from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
+__metaclass__ = type
+
+
+class ModuleDocFragment(object):
+
+    # Standard template documentation fragment, use by template and win_template.
+    DOCUMENTATION = r'''
+short_description: Template a file out to a remote server
+description:
+- Templates are processed by the L(Jinja2 templating language,http://jinja.pocoo.org/docs/).
+- Documentation on the template formatting can be found in the
+  L(Template Designer Documentation,http://jinja.pocoo.org/docs/templates/).
+- Additional variables listed below can be used in templates.
+- C(ansible_managed) (configurable via the C(defaults) section of C(ansible.cfg)) contains a string which can be used to
+  describe the template name, host, modification time of the template file and the owner uid.
+- C(template_host) contains the node name of the template's machine.
+- C(template_uid) is the numeric user id of the owner.
+- C(template_path) is the path of the template.
+- C(template_fullpath) is the absolute path of the template.
+- C(template_destpath) is the path of the template on the remote system (added in 2.8).
+- C(template_run_date) is the date that the template was rendered.
+options:
+  src:
+    description:
+    - Path of a Jinja2 formatted template on the Ansible controller.
+    - This can be a relative or an absolute path.
+    - The file must be encoded with C(utf-8) but I(output_encoding) can be used to control the encoding of the output
+      template.
+    type: path
+    required: yes
+  dest:
+    description:
+    - Location to render the template to on the remote machine.
+    type: path
+    required: yes
+  backup:
+    description:
+    - Determine whether a backup should be created.
+    - When set to C(yes), create a backup file including the timestamp information
+      so you can get the original file back if you somehow clobbered it incorrectly.
+    type: bool
+    default: no
+  newline_sequence:
+    description:
+    - Specify the newline sequence to use for templating files.
+    type: str
+    choices: [ '\n', '\r', '\r\n' ]
+    default: '\n'
+    version_added: '2.4'
+  block_start_string:
+    description:
+    - The string marking the beginning of a block.
+    type: str
+    default: '{%'
+    version_added: '2.4'
+  block_end_string:
+    description:
+    - The string marking the end of a block.
+    type: str
+    default: '%}'
+    version_added: '2.4'
+  variable_start_string:
+    description:
+    - The string marking the beginning of a print statement.
+    type: str
+    default: '{{'
+    version_added: '2.4'
+  variable_end_string:
+    description:
+    - The string marking the end of a print statement.
+    type: str
+    default: '}}'
+    version_added: '2.4'
+  trim_blocks:
+    description:
+    - Determine when newlines should be removed from blocks.
+    - When set to C(yes) the first newline after a block is removed (block, not variable tag!).
+    type: bool
+    default: yes
+    version_added: '2.4'
+  lstrip_blocks:
+    description:
+    - Determine when leading spaces and tabs should be stripped.
+    - When set to C(yes) leading spaces and tabs are stripped from the start of a line to a block.
+    - This functionality requires Jinja 2.7 or newer.
+    type: bool
+    default: no
+    version_added: '2.6'
+  force:
+    description:
+    - Determine when the file is being transferred if the destination already exists.
+    - When set to C(yes), replace the remote file when contents are different than the source.
+    - When set to C(no), the file will only be transferred if the destination does not exist.
+    type: bool
+    default: yes
+  output_encoding:
+    description:
+    - Overrides the encoding used to write the template file defined by C(dest).
+    - It defaults to C(utf-8), but any encoding supported by python can be used.
+    - The source template file must always be encoded using C(utf-8), for homogeneity.
+    type: str
+    default: utf-8
+    version_added: '2.7'
+notes:
+- Including a string that uses a date in the template will result in the template being marked 'changed' each time.
+- Since Ansible 0.9, templates are loaded with C(trim_blocks=True).
+- >
+  Also, you can override jinja2 settings by adding a special header to template file.
+  i.e. C(#jinja2:variable_start_string:'[%', variable_end_string:'%]', trim_blocks: False)
+  which changes the variable interpolation markers to C([% var %]) instead of C({{ var }}).
+  This is the best way to prevent evaluation of things that look like, but should not be Jinja2.
+- Using raw/endraw in Jinja2 will not work as you expect because templates in Ansible are recursively
+  evaluated.
+- To find Byte Order Marks in files, use C(Format-Hex <file> -Count 16) on Windows, and use C(od -a -t x1 -N 16 <file>)
+  on Linux.
+'''
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/win_template/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/win_template/tasks/main.yml
index 2d34c1d05f2..417aa89ab9c 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/win_template/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/win_template/tasks/main.yml
@@ -251,47 +251,41 @@
     that:
     - not template_to_dir_again is changed
 
-# VERIFY MODE
-# can't set file mode on windows so commenting this test out
-#- name: set file mode
-#  win_file: path={{win_output_dir}}/foo.templated mode=0644
-#  register: file_result
+- name: template a file with utf-8 encoding
+  win_template:
+    src: foo.utf-8.j2
+    dest: '{{ win_output_dir }}\foo.encoding.txt'
+  register: template_utf8
 
-#- name: ensure file mode did not change
-#  assert:
-#    that:
-#      - "file_result.changed != True"
+- name: slurp utf-8 templated file
+  slurp:
+    path: '{{ win_output_dir }}\foo.encoding.txt'
+  register: template_utf8_actual
 
-# commenting out all the following tests as expanduser and file modes not windows concepts.
+- name: get expected templated contents
+  set_fact:
+    expected_content: '{{ lookup("template", "foo.utf-8.j2") | trim }}'
 
-# VERIFY dest as a directory does not break file attributes
-# Note: expanduser is needed to go down the particular codepath that was broken before
-#- name: setup directory for test
-#  win_file: state=directory dest={{win_output_dir | expanduser}}/template-dir mode=0755 owner=nobody group=root
+- name: assert template a file with utf-8 encoding
+  assert:
+    that:
+    - template_utf8 is changed
+    - template_utf8_actual.content | b64decode(encoding='utf-8') == expected_content + "\r\n"
 
-#- name: set file mode when the destination is a directory
-#  win_template: src=foo.j2 dest={{win_output_dir | expanduser}}/template-dir/ mode=0600 owner=root group=root
+- name: template a file with windows-1252 encoding
+  win_template:
+    src: foo.utf-8.j2
+    dest: '{{ win_output_dir }}\foo.encoding.txt'
+    output_encoding: windows-1252
+  register: template_windows_1252
 
-#- name: set file mode when the destination is a directory
-#  win_template: src=foo.j2 dest={{win_output_dir | expanduser}}/template-dir/ mode=0600 owner=root group=root
-#  register: file_result
-#
-#- name: check that the file has the correct attributes
-#  win_stat: path={{win_output_dir | expanduser}}/template-dir/foo.j2
-#  register: file_attrs
-#
-#- assert:
-#    that:
-#      - "file_attrs.stat.uid == 0"
-#      - "file_attrs.stat.pw_name == 'root'"
-#      - "file_attrs.stat.mode == '0600'"
-#
-#- name: check that the containing directory did not change attributes
-#  win_stat: path={{win_output_dir | expanduser}}/template-dir/
-#  register: dir_attrs
-#
-#- assert:
-#    that:
-#      - "dir_attrs.stat.uid != 0"
-#      - "dir_attrs.stat.pw_name == 'nobody'"
-#      - "dir_attrs.stat.mode == '0755'"
+- name: slurp windows-1252 encoding
+  slurp:
+    path: '{{ win_output_dir }}\foo.encoding.txt'
+  register: template_windows_1252_actual
+
+- name: assert template a file with windows-1252 encoding
+  assert:
+    that:
+    - template_windows_1252 is changed
+    - template_windows_1252_actual.content | b64decode(encoding='windows-1252') == expected_content + "\r\n"
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/win_template/templates/foo.utf-8.j2 b/test/integration/targets/win_template/templates/foo.utf-8.j2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..65b95669b8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/win_template/templates/foo.utf-8.j2
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+—café— - {{ templated_var }}