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Squidly's avatar
Squidly
Occasional Reader
Mar 25, 2026

Latest updated removed all of my Quick Access Toolbar customizations.

Latest updated removed all of my Quick Access Toolbar customizations. It's not hidden - it's there, it's just empty of everything but the default commands. I have checked for a *.qat file in these directories

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Office

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office

 

but there's nothing there. I have never exported it (did not know you could) so there is no *.exportedUI file to use

 

I have around 40 commands and don't even remember all of the correct names to rebuild it.

excel

1 Reply

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Platinum Contributor
    Mar 26, 2026

    Applicable to: Excel 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365

     

    Hunt the .officeUI File

    1. Close Excel completely (check the system tray/notification area to ensure it's not running in the background).
    2. Open the folder: Press Windows Key + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office, press Enter.
    3. Look for the Excel.officeUI file:
    • If you see only one file named Excel.officeUI — right-click it → Properties → Previous Versions tab. If there's a version from before the update, select it and click Restore. This is the easiest path for a non-technical user.

          4. If you see multiple files like:

    • Excel.officeUI (current, probably empty)
    • Excel.officeUI.1 or Excel.officeUI.bak (older backup)

    To restore from the backup:

    • Right-click on Excel.officeUI → Rename → change it to Excel.officeUI.old
    • Find the backup file (Excel.officeUI.1 or Excel.officeUI.bak)
    • Right-click it → Rename → change it to Excel.officeUI (remove the .1 or .bak extension)
    • Open Excel — your QAT should be restored (Do not click anything yet. Check your toolbar).

    If neither works, check Previous Versions on the folder itself: 90% of the time, the Excel.officeUI file in %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Office has a backup copy (either .bak or a previous version created by Windows "Previous Versions" shadow copy).

    • Right-click the Office folder (not the file) → Properties → Previous Versions tab
    • If Windows has a shadow copy from before the update, you can open it, copy the Excel.officeUI file from there, and paste it back into your current folder

     

    My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

     

    Hope this will help you.

     

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