Why Word Custom Shortcuts Reset After Switching Office Profiles

You have set up a personalized set of keyboard shortcuts in Word, only to find them missing after switching to a different Office profile on the same computer. This problem occurs because Word stores custom keyboard shortcut assignments inside a file called Normal.dotm, which is tied to the current user profile. When you switch to a different Office profile, Word loads a different Normal.dotm template that does not contain your custom shortcuts. This article explains exactly why this happens and how to copy your shortcuts between profiles so you do not have to rebuild them each time.

Why Custom Shortcuts Are Tied to Each Office Profile

Word stores custom keyboard shortcuts in the Normal.dotm global template. This file is located in the user-specific AppData folder at %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dotm. Each Windows user account has its own AppData folder, so each Office profile on the same machine has its own copy of Normal.dotm.

When you switch Office profiles — for example, from a work account to a personal account, or between different Windows user accounts — Word loads the Normal.dotm file that belongs to the active profile. That file contains only the shortcuts that were saved while that profile was active. Your custom shortcuts from the other profile remain in the other Normal.dotm file and are not visible in the current session.

The same behavior applies to other customizations stored in Normal.dotm, such as macro definitions and AutoText entries. The shortcuts themselves are stored as XML data inside the template’s Customizations part. Because Normal.dotm is a macro-enabled template, it can hold this data without being opened as a document.

Where the Shortcut Data Lives Inside Normal.dotm

Each custom keyboard shortcut is stored as a keymapping element inside the customUI XML part of Normal.dotm. The mapping links a key combination like Alt+Ctrl+Shift+K to a specific command like FormatFont. When Word starts, it reads this XML and applies the mappings to the current session. If Normal.dotm is missing or contains no keymapping elements, Word uses its default shortcut set.

How to Transfer Custom Shortcuts Between Office Profiles

You have two reliable methods to move custom shortcuts from one Office profile to another. The first method copies the entire Normal.dotm file. The second method uses the Organizer to copy only the shortcut assignments.

Method 1: Copy Normal.dotm Between Profiles

1. Locate the source Normal.dotm
   Sign in to the Office profile that contains your custom shortcuts. Open File Explorer and paste %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates into the address bar. Press Enter. You will see Normal.dotm in that folder.
2. Copy Normal.dotm to a temporary location
   Right-click Normal.dotm and select Copy. Paste it to your desktop or another folder you can access from both profiles.
3. Switch to the target Office profile
   Sign out of the current Office profile and sign in to the profile where you want the shortcuts to appear. Close all Office applications.
4. Replace the target Normal.dotm
   Navigate again to %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates in File Explorer. Rename the existing Normal.dotm to Normal_old.dotm as a backup. Paste the copied Normal.dotm from your desktop into this folder.
5. Restart Word
   Open Word in the target profile. Your custom shortcuts should now be active. Test a known shortcut to confirm.

This method copies all Normal.dotm customizations, including macros and AutoText. If you want to transfer only the shortcuts and leave other customizations untouched, use Method 2.

Method 2: Use the Organizer to Copy Shortcuts Only

1. Open the source Normal.dotm in Word
   Sign in to the source profile. In Word, go to File > Open > Browse. Change the file type filter to All Files (). Navigate to %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates and open Normal.dotm. Word opens it as a document.
2. Open the Organizer
   With Normal.dotm open, go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon. At the bottom of the right pane, click the Customize button next to Keyboard shortcuts. In the Customize Keyboard dialog, click the Organizer button at the bottom left.
3. Copy the shortcut scheme
   In the Organizer, click the Commands tab. On the left side, you see Normal.dotm. On the right side, you see the target template or document. Choose Normal.dotm (target) from the dropdown on the right. Select the shortcut scheme entry in the left list and click Copy.
4. Save the target Normal.dotm
   Close the Organizer. Close the open Normal.dotm document. When prompted, click Yes to save changes. Switch to the target Office profile and restart Word.

The Organizer method copies only the keyboard customization data, leaving macros and AutoText in the source template untouched. This is the safer option if you want to isolate the shortcut transfer.

What to Do If Shortcuts Still Do Not Appear After Transfer

Shortcuts Are Missing After Copying Normal.dotm

If you replaced Normal.dotm but the shortcuts do not appear, Word may be loading a different template from a network location or a startup folder. Go to File > Options > Add-ins. At the bottom, next to Manage, select Templates and click Go. Under Global templates and add-ins, check the file path listed for Normal.dotm. If it points to a network share, copy your Normal.dotm to that location instead.

Shortcuts Work for One Profile but Not the Other

This usually means the target profile has a conflicting add-in or template that overrides the same key combinations. Open Word in the target profile and go to File > Options > Add-ins. Disable all third-party add-ins under COM Add-ins and restart Word. If the shortcuts now work, re-enable add-ins one at a time to find the conflict.

Shortcuts Reset After Office Update

Office updates occasionally replace Normal.dotm with a default version. Always keep a backup copy of your customized Normal.dotm in a safe location outside the Templates folder. After an update, replace the updated Normal.dotm with your backup.

Item	Copy Normal.dotm	Use Organizer
What is transferred	All customizations (shortcuts, macros, AutoText)	Only keyboard shortcut scheme
Risk of overwriting macros	Yes, macros in target are lost	No, macros remain unchanged
Steps required	File copy and replace	Open template, use Organizer dialog
Best for	Fresh profile with no existing customizations	Profile with existing macros you want to keep

After transferring your shortcuts, open the Customize Keyboard dialog in the target profile to verify that your key assignments are present. Going forward, consider exporting your shortcut scheme periodically using the Organizer method so you have a portable backup that you can import into any Office profile.

If you need to share shortcuts with other users, you can distribute the exported Normal.dotm file or the Organizer shortcut scheme. Be aware that Normal.dotm contains macros, so sharing it with untrusted users carries a security risk. Use the Organizer method to share only the shortcut data without macros.