Can I transfer custom Building Blocks on Word from one computer to another?

Question

Considering updating my computer soon.

I’m not sure if my Office Suite is transferable from my current computer to another? How do I find that out?

Whether or not it is transferable, how can I export my custom Building Blocks over to the new computer?

Thanks!

Answer 1

The Mac version of Word does not use Building Blocks templates, that's a Windows-only thing.

Word for Mac uses AutoText, where the items are stored in templates attached to the document. For autotext galleries, Word refers to .dotx files that are stored in the application package.

Using the Organizer (Tools>Templates and Add-ins>Organizer), it's possible to copy autotext from one template to another. I don't recommend that you try to add custom content to the autotext galleries included with Word, as those are likely to be over-written in a program update.

Here's my article about how to create custom autotext gallery content in Word for Mac: https://www.brandwares.com/bestpractices/2018/07/xml-hacking-add-a-table-of-contents-to-the-toc-gallery/ The article uses a table of contents as an example, but you can use the same method for cover pages, page numbers, etc.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, I do not know anything about Office on a Mac. However, if you ask the question in the Microsoft Answers Forum at

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_word-msoffice_unknown-mso_OPMac?

there are a number of Mac users who should be able to help you.

or

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/topics/46485/office-for-mac-itpro.html

Answer 3

John has answered your question for the Mac. For Building Blocks on a Windows computer for those who may find this thread in a search, as Doug has indicated, the default for most building blocks is the file Building Blocks.dotx. That is not the only place they may be, though. Nor is it necessarily where you want them to be. Here are parts of my webpage on AutoCorrect, AutoText and Building Blocks that examine where building blocks can be stored and how to move / copy them.

• http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/autotextautocorrect.htm#StoreBuildingBlocks
• http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/autotextautocorrect.htm#Moving_AutoText

Answer 4

In the folder at

%appdata%\microsoft\Document Building Blocks\1033\16\Document Building Blocks\1033\16

or

C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Document Building Blocks\1033\16

you should find a Building Blocks.dotx file that is where custom building blocks that you create a saved by default and you should be able to copy that file from one computer to another.

Note English is not your language, the 1033 maybe something else and the 16 refers to Office 2016 and later.