Forum Discussion
As of Noon January 3, 2024, macros have stopped working in Word 365. How can this be corrected?
Help. What is wrong with my macros? Cannot access, edit, create.
21 Replies
You may want to search the Word Questions forum for "macros stopped working."
Have you restarted your computer?
Where were the macros stored? They can be in any .dotm or .docm formatted file. The default storage place for recorded macros is the Normal Template.
How do you know they stopped working?
I have contacted Microsoft and their techs directed me to this forum. I've restarted the computer. I've reinstalled the Office 365 app. I've done nothing to change the Normal Template.
How do I know they stopped working? Earlier today, when I ran a macro it did what it was supposed to do. A little after noon EST, I get error messages instead. I cannot edit the ones I've had for years. I cannot create a new one.
Further, on my laptop, macros have completely disappeared from the ribbon; so, the plot thickens.
Hi Carol,
These are recorded macros?
If so, they would be in your Normal.dotm file. Check the date on that file.
Where is the Normal Template / How to Find the Normal Template
What is its size?
Is there any other file in that folder (your user templates folder) that has "normal" in the name.
Do not do anything with any of these files until you get more from me once you answer the questions I've asked. (If you are in a hurry, at least make backups of all of them).
Resources for the future (do not directly address your problem):
Again, a search on the other forum will lead you to many ideas and help. That forum has many more people providing answers, although some are not all that knowledgeable. You can trust responses from anyone there with the MVP or Moderator tag.
I keep few of my working macros in the Normal template. Most are in other global templates. I have been working with Word for more than thirty years. The Normal Template is important but has been a fragile place to keep important things.
