New Bug in Word Word (Version 2607 Build 16.0.20228.20124): QAT is not saved in template?

I, too, have had problems modifying the QAT for a particular template or document. It is not a problem with a new template or document, but when I try to modify ones that already have a number of QAT modifications, the change does not stick. I posted a question in Q&A about it. 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5857583/save-failure-when-trying-to-save-template-or-docum 

I have been doing this, through the interface for more than 15 years. See Modifying the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) in Microsoft Word.

Here is a link to my feedback on the issue: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/796f5936-3f35-f111-9a91-000d3a05c4f5

Note, default storage location for changes to all documents is NOT the Normal.dotm file. It is the Word.OfficeUI file which also holds customization of the Ribbon done through the UI.

The UI-based process no longer creates the “User Customization” subfolder—an annoying bug! As a result, template-based QAT customizations are lost when a template is closed and reopened.

In my implementation, Word does create the subfolder, but it refuses to add more items.

I get the following message when trying to save.

It is not a matter of memory or disk space. This only comes up after trying to save a template with changes to the QAT. Here is a temporary link to a problem file that already has many QAT entries.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ojnxuejutns3ttejjewh7/KenyonQAT-Copy.dotm?rlkey=ela66yhu3q84e8abadcuzvn89&dl=0

Hi Emily,

I did exactly what you asked:

1. Tested with a new, locally saved blank.dotx file: Done

2. File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar: Make sure this template is selected in the “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” drop-down menu, add a built-in command, save the template, and close Word completely

3. Reopen Word and open the template: Done

4. If the command is gone, the test rules out a problem with the existing template:

The command is gone!

So we have a (serious) problem with template-based QAT customizations because they aren’t saved in the template (or anywhere else, for that matter)

In my testing in Version 2607, Template Specific QAT Customizations are saved in the template, but when the template is opened, or a document is created from the template, those customizations are appended to any in the QAT from the Normal.dotm template.

To verify that, I renamed my Normal.dotm template (so that I could later recover it), then started Word, which causes a new Normal.dotm to be created.  I then removed all of the customizations from that template so that the QAT was completely empty.  Then I created a document from the template in which I had made a template specific customization of the QAT and with that document as the active document the Template Specific QAT customization was visible.

In the following screen shots, Document2 is a document created from the Normal.dotm template and Document3 is a document created from the QAT Test.dotx template that contained the customization.

What I think is a bug is that my renaming my original Normal.dotm template so that I could revert to it after this test did not result in the customization that I had in it being preserved as when I deleted the Normal.dotm template that had been created after I renamed the original and then renamed the original back to Normal.dotm and then started Word, the QAT was empty and I therefore lost all of my original customizations.  Oh well, it was in need of a clean-up anyway.

If you open Normal.dotm for editing, you can save your QAT customizations explicitly to that template. Maybe that is what you are currently doing.

P.S. I haven't seen any inconsistencies with saving in the default location (those confusing XML files), though. I do find that saving in a template gives me more control. 

Your conclusion is reasonable. The userCustomization part and its package relationship are how Word persists template-specific QAT changes. If Word accepts the change in the QAT dialog, but a newly created local .dotx template does not retain it after saving, closing, and reopening, that points to a regression in this Word build rather than a problem with the template itself.

Before treating it as confirmed, test with a new blank .dotx stored locally, not in OneDrive, SharePoint, or a protected location. In File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar, make sure that the “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” drop-down is set to that template, add one built-in command, save the template, close Word completely, and reopen it. If the command is gone, the test rules out an existing template issue.

There is no reliable template-side fix if Word is no longer writing the required package part. Manually editing the ZIP package may work, as you found, but it should be treated as a temporary workaround only: make a copy first, and do not modify a signed or production template without testing, as package changes can invalidate a signature or damage the file.

For an immediate supported workaround, use a global QAT customization instead of a template-specific one, or have a Microsoft 365 Apps administrator test a rollback to the previous working Office build.