Macros disappeared

Question

Office 365 updated today. Now all my macros have disappeared from Word. They were working just fine earlier today until the automatic update. I tried Quick repair. I tried closing Word and then shutting down my computer and restarting. I can create a new macro and close Word and reopen it and the new macro does work. But I’d sure like to have all those old ones back.

Any ideas?

In the past, I would have gone to System Restore, assuming there might have been a restore point created before the update or at least yesterday before I installed Skype, but a search for System Restore through “cortana” did not turn up anything. So perhaps that feature has disappeared?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Take a look in your User Templates folder (C:\Users[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates) for a Normal.dotm.old or Normal15Pre.dotm template.  One or the other of those will be your original Normal.dotm template.  With Word not running, you can delete, or better rename the Normal.dotm template that is in that folder to say BadNormal.dotm, and then rename whichever of Normal.dotm.old or Normal15Pre.dotm to Normal.dotm and your macros should be restored.

If you do not see the AppData folder: -

In Windows 7, - In Windows Explorer, click on the Organize drop down and then on Folder and search options and in the Folder Options dialog, go to the View tab and select the item "Show hidden files, folders, and drives".  While there, also uncheck the box for "Hide extensions for known file types".

In Windows 8,  8.1 or 10, in the File Explorer, click on Options on the View tab of the ribbon and then on the View tab in the dialog that appears and select the item "Show hidden files, folders, and drives".  While there,  also uncheck the box for "Hide extensions for known file types".

Answer 2

Hello JMR,

There is more information in this thread:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2016-word/normal-template-wiped-again/a96dba06-68f7-40e8-a1a2-55ddef1bcca7

It is an unintentional change that we are working to fix as quickly as possible.

Answer 3

Thanks Doug and Microsoft Mike. All is now well in my Word world.

Answer 4

Thank you, Doug. Here's a picture of the templates folder. I see the Normal.dotm.old that was modified on 12/20. But its icon is the "blank" page. Is this what I should rename after I rename Normal.dotm as you suggested?

Also, will this procedure be necessary with each Office update--if you happen to know this?

I hugely appreciate all your volunteer efforts here.

Jozie