Document > Document Options > Fonts > Text > Measure Number

That changes the text default, but I also want to change the checked boxes, the "Show on every:" numerical settings, and the "Enclosure edit" setting.

You can change the settings directly in the dialog box Measure Number.

Since you are asking how to change the default settings, I suppose that you need the new settings to be the default in all new documents, right?

In that case, open the template you use when creating new documents, go to the dialog box Measure Number, and change the settings there.

Save, and close the template.

From now on, all new documents created from that particular template will default to the new settings.

No, when I am editing an existing document, I want different a different group of initial settings to appear in the Measure Number dialog box whenever I click on the "Edit Measure Number Regions..." option. For example, it now always comes up with the "Show measure numbers at start of staff system" box checked. I'd like this box unchecked, and the "Show on every:" box checked and the number 5 entered in the two associated boxes following, etc.

… when I am editing an existing document, I want different a different group of initial settings to appear in the Measure Number dialog box whenever I click on the "Edit Measure Number Regions..." option …

If I understand you correctly, you have a first Measure Number Region with the document’s default settings, right?

And you need that Measure Number Region, right?

But you also need to create - in the same Finale document - several other Measure Number Regions which should all have the same settings, but different from the first Measure Number Region, right?

Here is what I do:

Create one Measure Number Region with the (new) settings.

Before clicking the button “Add”, first select the Measure Number Region with the settings you need duplicated.

When you click “Add”, Finale creates a new Measure Number Region by duplicating the selected region.

I guess I'm not stating  my question/problem clearly.  Since the "Measure" pull down menu contains the item "Restore Measure Number Defaults", my first question is: Are these default settings alterable by the user? Then if so, how would I go about doing  this?

The command “Restore Measure Number Defaults” is useful when you have made individual edits to measure numbers, like hide a specific measure number, or move a specific measure number up (to avoid a collision with something else).

The command “Restore Measure Number Defaults” will reset all the measure numbers in a measure number region to the defaults for that particular measure number region.

And yes, these default settings for a measure number region are alterable by the user.

An example:

In the first measure number region (e. g. m. 1–8) the measure numbers default to, not Show on Start of System, but rather Show on Every 5 Measures Beginning with Measure 1.

In this region the measure number on measure 4 has been hidden (manually).

In the next measure number region (e. g. m. 9–16) the measure numbers default to Show on Start of System.

In this region the measure number at the beginning of System 4 has been moved a little up (manually).

Now, select all measures, and use the command “Restore Measure Number Defaults”.

This command will affect both regions.

In the first region the measure number on measure 4 will show again.

In the second region the measure number at the beginning of System 4 has been moved back to the region’s default positioning.