Normal.dotm File Backup

Question

It is HIGH TIME Microsoft allowed users to Auto-Save the normal.dotm file which has all the AUTO-CORRECT changes that I painstakingly create. My computer was beginning to croak so I got a new one. Microsoft 365 OneDrive saved all the files I needed, but I completely forgot to save the normal.dotm file in which I had a couple of years' worth of AutoCorrect work including adding diacritics to words.

And oh, while searching for the normal.dotm file, you have to allow viewing of HIDDEN files otherwise you'll never find the file!

Come ON, Microsoft! Heck, trying to find the normal.dotm file is like digging for hidden treasure. Do you reeeally have to make it this difficult to find the file? OK fine, leave it deep in the bowels of the computer, but you have to give us the option to autosave all our work on autocorrect. You HAVE to work on this! Thank you!

Answer 1

There is a file named MSO0127. In this case the number doesn't correspond to a language ID; the file contains the Math AutoCorrect entries used in the Insert > Equation feature.

The AutoCorrect.dotm file is a template, but it contains only the instructions in the body text and the code that runs the backup and restore. It isn't intended to be the base for a document. The code creates the AutoCorrect Backup document as a separate file, based on the Normal.dotm template.

If you add formatted entries with a specific proofing language to the list in the AutoCorrect dialog, those entries are stored in the Normal.dotm template. The proofing language is saved as part of the value's formatting. That restored entry will be autocorrected only if the proofing language at the insertion point matches the entry's proofing language.

Answer 2

AutoCorrect entries are stored in two places: Plain text entries are in ACL files, one for each language, and are shared among all Office programs that use AutoCorrect. Formatted entries are stored in the Normal.dotm template, and are available only to Word.

You can use my AutoCorrect.dotm add-in (download AutoCorrect2007.zip from https://jay-freedman.info/ ) or Greg Maxey's AutoCorrect Utility Manager from https://gregmaxey.com/word_tip_pages/autocorrect_utility_manager.html to back up and restore all the AutoCorrect entries wherever they are.

Despite Microsoft's efforts, I don't believe anyone should depend only on AutoSave for saving either documents or templates that you consider important. There are too many reports in this forum and elsewhere of failures of AutoSave to synchronize to OneDrive, especially when Word crashes or the computer shuts down unexpectedly -- exactly when you would hope the open files were automatically backed up.

Answer 3

AutoCorrect entries are actually stored in ACL files, not Normal.dotm. The file for U.S. English is called MSO1033.acl. The default location is C:\Users[YoutSctualUserName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Office

A good data backup routine is to copy the contents of your User folder to a backup medium on a regular basis. That will create a backup of the ACL files, Normal.dotm and all other custom Office configuration files.

Microsoft is not monitoring these fora for suggestions. In Word, choose File>Feedback>Send a Suggestion. Post your idea, then others can vote on it. Microsoft uses that feedback to prioritize their programming.

Answer 4

It is HIGH TIME Microsoft allowed users to Auto-Save the normal.dotm file which has all the AUTO-CORRECT changes that I painstakingly create. My computer was beginning to croak so I got a new one. Microsoft 365 OneDrive saved all the files I needed, but I completely forgot to save the normal.dotm file in which I had a couple of years' worth of AutoCorrect work including adding diacritics to words.

And oh, while searching for the normal.dotm file, you have to allow viewing of HIDDEN files otherwise you'll never find the file!

Come ON, Microsoft! Heck, trying to find the normal.dotm file is like digging for hidden treasure. Do you reeeally have to make it this difficult to find the file? OK fine, leave it deep in the bowels of the computer, but you have to give us the option to autosave all our work on autocorrect. You HAVE to work on this! Thank you!

References:

• Backup Normal.dotm template using a macro
• Where is the Normal Template / How to Find the Normal Template
• AutoCorrect2007 at The Macro Zone - Jay Freedman, MVP
• AutoCorrect
• How to Backup/Copy/Move AutoCorrect Entries
• Word 2007 & Later Key Data File Locations

This is a user-to-user support forum. -- You can give feedback TO MICROSOFT designers and decision makers on Microsoft Word or other Microsoft Products (using their feedback mechanisms, not here)

Answer 5

Are you sure the second file is MSO0127 and not MSO1027? Each file number is for a different language that you have used on your computer. 1027 is for Catalan Spanish.