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where did my outlook templates go

You’re not alone: many people open Outlook one day and suddenly wonder, “Where did my Outlook templates go?” In most cases, the templates are still around, but Outlook has either hidden them, lost the link, or an update/add‑in has messed with how they show up. Below are the main reasons this happens and how to get them back, grouped so you can quickly try what fits your situation.

Quick check: what kind of templates?

Before diving into fixes, think about what you lost:

  • “.oft” files you used via “Choose Form…” or double‑clicking a file in Windows.
  • The “My Templates” pane that used to appear when composing a message.
  • Quick Parts / AutoText (reusable snippets on the Insert tab).

The steps below cover all three.

1. Check if the .oft files are still on disk

Most classic Outlook templates are stored as .oft files in a templates folder on your PC.

Default location on Windows

  • Press Windows + R.

  • Paste this path and press Enter:
    C:\Users\<your-username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates

  • Look for files ending in .oft.

If they are there:

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Go to Home > New Items > More Items > Choose Form….
  3. In “Look In”, change to User Templates in File System.
  4. See if your templates appear.

If the folder is empty, your options are:

  • Restore from a backup (if your PC or OneDrive was backing up that folder).
  • Ask IT if they have a copy (for corporate setups).
  • Recreate critical templates and save them again as .oft to that location.

2. Restore the “My Templates” add‑in (pane missing)

If you used the right‑hand My Templates panel when writing emails and it vanished after an update, it’s often just disabled.

In Outlook on the web (OWA)

  1. Go to https://outlook.office.com and sign in.
  2. Click New mail.
  3. In the new message toolbar, click the Apps / three dots (…) menu.
  4. Choose Add apps or Manage your apps.
  5. Look for My Templates :
    • If not added : add it.
    • If already added : remove it, then add it again.
  6. Close the browser tab, then restart the desktop Outlook app and test again.

In desktop Outlook (add‑in disabled)

  1. In Outlook, go to File > Options > Add‑ins.
  2. At the bottom next to Manage , choose COM Add‑ins and click Go….
  3. Look for anything related to My Templates or similar add‑ins.
  4. Tick it to enable (or untick suspicious add‑ins that might conflict), then restart Outlook.

If your organization controls add‑ins via admin policies, you might need IT to re‑enable the My Templates add‑in globally.

3. Fix “templates disappeared after an update”

Recent Outlook updates (especially with the new interface previews) have caused “My Templates” and custom templates to vanish for some users. Try this sequence:

  1. Restart in Safe Mode

    • Close Outlook.

    • Press Windows + R, type:
      outlook.exe /safe
      and press Enter.

    • Create a new email and see if templates show up.

    • If they do appear in Safe Mode, a third‑party add‑in is likely breaking them.

    • Disable extra add‑ins under File > Options > Add‑ins > COM Add‑ins > Go… and re‑enable one by one to find the culprit.

  2. Check you’re not in the “new Outlook” preview
    • If you see a toggle like “Try the new Outlook”, and you recently turned it on, switch back to the classic Outlook.
    • Many users report that certain add‑ins and template features are missing or limited in the new client.
  3. Create a fresh Outlook profile (more advanced, for stubborn cases)
    • Close Outlook.
    • Open Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles….
    • Click Add… , create a new profile and re‑add your account(s).
    • Set “Prompt for a profile to be used” or “Always use this profile” to the new one and test if templates are back.
    • Only delete the old profile once you’re sure everything (mail, data files, signatures, etc.) is properly migrated.

4. If your Quick Parts / AutoText vanished

If what’s missing are the snippets you insert from Insert > Quick Parts > AutoText, they are stored differently from .oft files.

  • They live in a file named NormalEmail.dotm in your user profile.
  • This file can be overwritten (for example, after a clean Office reinstall, profile reset, or roaming profile issue).

You can’t get them back unless you:

  • Restore an older backup of NormalEmail.dotm.
  • Copy that file from an old profile or machine.
  • Or manually recreate your frequently used Quick Parts.

To reduce future risk, some people:

  • Keep important boilerplate text in a Word/OneNote/SharePoint file as a “source of truth”.
  • Periodically export or copy their templates into .oft files.

5. Where to look next (if nothing above fits)

If you still can’t find your templates, these are the likely scenarios:

  • They were stored on another machine
    • If you recently got a new PC, Outlook does not automatically move .oft templates or Quick Parts files.
    • Check your old computer’s AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates folder and copy .oft files to the same path on the new PC.
  • They were in a non‑default folder
    • Sometimes people save .oft templates on the Desktop, Documents, or a network share.
    • Use Windows search for *.oft across all drives to see if they’re elsewhere.
  • Organization or admin policy changed
    • Your IT department might have changed policies that affect add‑ins or the “new Outlook” rollout.
    • Ask IT specifically: “Has the My Templates add‑in or classic Outlook been disabled or replaced?”

TL;DR – Fast checklist

  1. Look for.oft files
    • C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates
    • Use Windows search for *.oft.
  2. Restore or re‑enable “My Templates”
    • In Outlook on the web: Add or re‑add My Templates under Apps.
    • In desktop Outlook: Check it under File > Options > Add‑ins > COM Add‑ins.
  3. Test in Safe Mode
    • outlook.exe /safe → if templates show, disable conflicting add‑ins.
  4. Suspect a new profile or new PC?
    • Copy templates (and possibly NormalEmail.dotm) from the old profile/machine.

If you tell what exactly you used before (My Templates pane vs .oft files vs Quick Parts, and whether you’re on Windows, Mac, or web), a more targeted step‑by‑step path can be laid out for your specific setup.