I cannot see any templates in Word

Question

No templates at all. I am not saying "mine". I am not seeing the templates done by word itself.

Answer 1

Microsoft Template files have not been stored locally for quite some time. They are supplied on demand from remote servers as one of the many Connected Experiences. Go to Word> Preferences> Privacy - Manage Connected Experiences to confirm that all 3 boxes are checked then restart the program.

More are available from MS Templates

Answer 2

Your AI answer did not help at all.
I did as asked but in my Mac I found the Normal.dotm file only. There is no Normal.dotm-( number) anywhere. So nothing I can rename. I closed and reloaded word like, 50 times. That does not work. No template is showing up. And of course I am online, otherwise I would not be writing this.

Normal.dotm-(number)

Answer 3

In Word for Microsoft 365 on Mac, built‑in templates appear when selecting File > New. If none are visible, use these checks and workarounds:

1. Confirm using File > New (not just opening a blank document). The built‑in templates are only shown in the New-document experience.
2. If offline, Word may not be able to load many of the online templates. In that case, only templates installed locally will appear. Ensure the Mac is connected to the internet, then try File > New again.
3. If only custom templates are missing but built‑in ones appear, verify the custom template location:
   • On Windows this is controlled by File > Options > Save > Default personal templates location and typically points to %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates\.
   • On Mac, custom templates are stored under ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates, and the main Word template is Normal.dotm in that folder.
4. If the default Word template is damaged, it can affect how new documents and some template behaviors work. On Mac, restore the default template by:
   • Quit Word.
   • In Finder, search This Mac for Normal.
   • There should be Normal.dotm and Normal.dotm-(number).
   • Delete Normal.dotm.
   • Rename Normal.dotm-(number) to Normal.dotm.
   • Restart Word and check File > New again.
5. If template behavior is still abnormal, completely close Word and restart it so it reloads templates and online content.

If Word can reach Microsoft’s online services, built‑in templates should then be listed under File > New and can be browsed or searched.

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References:

• Where are my custom templates?
• Create a template
• Why am I getting a message that says to troubleshoot my Internet connection?
• Download free, pre-built templates