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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIf your custom template is missing from Word’s File > New screen on Windows, it may still be on your computer. Microsoft says templates made with an earlier Microsoft 365 version may not appear by default. Point Word’s personal-template setting to the folder that contains the files. If you mean a template that supplies features while you edit documents, use Word’s separate Add-Ins settings instead.
First, identify which kind of template is missing
Word has two different template features, and the right fix depends on where you expect to see the file:
| What you want to do | Word feature | Where to configure it |
|---|---|---|
| Start a new document from a personal template | Personal or Custom templates | File > Options > Save, under Save Documents |
| Use template features across documents while working | Global template or add-in | File > Options > Add-Ins > Manage: Word Add-ins > Go |
If the missing item should appear in the Personal or Custom list under File > New, follow the first fix below. The Add-Ins dialog does not make a personal template appear in that list.
Fix a missing Personal or Custom template in Word for Windows
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Press Windows key + R, enter
%appdata%MicrosoftTemplates, and press Enter. File Explorer opens the templates folder. Microsoft notes that templates created with an earlier Microsoft 365 version may still be there even when they are not shown by default. Microsoft’s custom-template instructions use this folder as the location to inspect.Free tools Windows power users keep installed
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In File Explorer, copy the actual folder path shown in the address bar. Use that path rather than assuming the shortcut text is the exact location on your computer.
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Open Word and select File > Options > Save. Under Save Documents, paste the copied path into Default personal templates location, then select OK.
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Return to File > New and look for the Personal tab or list; some versions may label it Custom. If you want the same personal templates available in another Office program, set the location in that program too.
Check that the file is a Word template
A file intended to start a new document should use a Word template format: .dotx, .dot, or .dotm. A regular .docx is a document, not a template for Word’s Personal or Custom list. The .dotm format supports macros. See Microsoft’s instructions for saving a Word document as a template.
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If you mean a global template or add-in
Global templates provide features such as styles, AutoText, AutoCorrect, macros, toolbars, menus, or shortcuts while you work in documents. They are not the templates used to create a new file from File > New.
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In Word for Windows desktop, go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
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Set Manage to Word Add-ins, select Go, then use the Templates tab to review loaded templates. If the file is not listed, select Add and browse to its folder.
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A template loaded this way remains loaded only for the current Word session. To have it load when Word starts, find the Startup folder through File > Options > Advanced > File Locations and store the template there. Microsoft documents these steps in Load or unload a template or add-in program.
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Platform and version limits
The personal-template location guidance covers Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2021. Microsoft’s template-saving and add-in instructions cover Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 on Windows desktop. Microsoft cautions that the steps may differ on Mac and Word for the web; do not use the Windows folder path as a confirmed fix on those platforms. See Microsoft’s platform note.
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