Why Word’s File New Backstage Shows Duplicate Templates From Various Sources

When you open Word and go to File > New, the Backstage view might display multiple copies of the same template. This makes it hard to find the template you actually want to use. The problem happens because Word collects templates from several locations on your computer, network shares, and Microsoft 365 cloud sources. This article explains why the duplicates appear and shows you how to clean up the template list.

Why Word Displays Duplicate Templates in the Backstage View

Word’s File > New Backstage view collects templates from multiple sources and merges them into one list. The main sources are:

Local Template Folders

Word looks for templates in the default user templates folder, typically located at C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates. It also scans any folders you set in File > Options > Save under the Default personal templates location field. If you or your IT department configured multiple paths, Word shows templates from each folder separately — even if the same template file exists in two folders.

Network or Shared Template Locations

Many organizations store company templates on a network share. Word can be configured to pull templates from one or more network paths via Group Policy or registry settings. If a network folder contains the same template file as your local folder, the Backstage view displays two entries for the same template.

Microsoft 365 and SharePoint

Word also indexes templates from your Microsoft 365 tenant, including SharePoint document libraries and the Microsoft 365 Templates site. If a template is stored both on a SharePoint site and in your local Templates folder, Word shows it twice.

Third-Party Add-Ins and COM Add-Ins

Some add-ins, especially those from document management systems or template vendors, register their own template locations in the Windows registry. Word loads these entries and merges them into the File > New list. A poorly written add-in can register the same folder multiple times, causing each template to appear two or three times.

Corrupted or Duplicate Normal.dotm Files

The global template Normal.dotm is not shown in File > New, but a corrupted copy can cause Word to misread the template folder structure. If a duplicate Normal.dotm exists in a secondary location, Word may scan that folder and treat its contents as additional templates.

Steps to Identify and Remove Duplicate Templates From File > New

Follow these methods in order. Start with the quickest check and move to more detailed fixes only if duplicates persist.

Method 1: Check and Reset the Default Personal Templates Location

1. Open Word Options
   Click File > Options. In the left pane, click Save.
2. Locate the Default personal templates location field
   Under the Save documents section, find the text box labeled Default personal templates location. If it is empty, Word uses only the built-in Microsoft 365 templates and the user Templates folder. If a path is entered, note it.
3. Set a single folder path
   If multiple paths are listed (separated by semicolons), remove all but one. Use only one local folder, for example C:\Users\[YourName]\Documents\Custom Office Templates. Click OK.
4. Restart Word and test
   Close and reopen Word. Press Ctrl+N or go to File > New and check whether the duplicate templates are gone.

Method 2: Disable Third-Party COM Add-Ins

1. Open the Add-ins dialog
   Click File > Options > Add-ins. At the bottom of the dialog, next to the Manage dropdown, select COM Add-ins and click Go.
2. Uncheck all add-ins
   In the COM Add-ins dialog, uncheck every add-in in the list. Click OK.
3. Restart Word and test
   Restart Word and check File > New. If the duplicates are gone, one of the disabled add-ins was the cause. Re-enable add-ins one at a time, restarting Word each time, until you find the culprit.

Method 3: Clear the Template Cache

1. Close Word completely
   Make sure no Word process is running. Check Task Manager if needed.
2. Delete the Office File Cache
   Press Win+R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0 (for Office 2016 or later) and press Enter. Locate the OfficeFileCache folder and delete all files inside it. Do not delete the folder itself.
3. Restart Word and test
   Open Word and check File > New. Word rebuilds the cache from scratch, which removes stale template references.

Method 4: Remove Duplicate Normal.dotm Files

1. Search for Normal.dotm
   Open File Explorer and search your entire C: drive for Normal.dotm. Look in C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates and also check C:\Users\Public\Templates and any network paths you use.
2. Keep only the master copy
   If you find Normal.dotm in more than one location, rename the extra copies to Normal.old or delete them. Keep only the one in AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.
3. Restart Word and test
   Restart Word and verify the template list is clean.

If Word Still Shows Duplicate Templates After the Main Fix

Word Shows the Same Template from SharePoint and Local Folder

If your organization uses SharePoint to distribute templates, and you also have a local copy in your Templates folder, Word shows both. Remove the local copy. Go to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates and delete the duplicate file. Word will still pull the template from SharePoint via the Backstage view.

Registry Entries Cause Duplicate Template Registrations

Some IT policies write template paths directly into the Windows registry. To check, press Win+R, type regedit, and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\General. Look for a string value named UserTemplates or SharedTemplates. If the value contains multiple paths separated by semicolons, edit it to keep only one path. Back up the registry before making any changes.

Word Still Duplicates Templates After All Steps

Run a repair of Microsoft 365. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, select Microsoft 365, and click Change. Choose Quick Repair first. If that does not help, run an Online Repair. This reinstalls Office components and resets the template registration system without affecting your documents.

Template Sources Compared: How Each Source Affects the Backstage View

Source	Duplicates Appear When	Resolution
Local user Templates folder	Multiple folders set in Default personal templates location	Set a single folder path in File > Options > Save
Network share (Group Policy)	Same template exists both locally and on the network	Remove the local copy or disable the network path in registry
Microsoft 365 / SharePoint	Template stored in SharePoint and also downloaded locally	Delete the local duplicate; keep only the SharePoint copy
COM Add-ins	Add-in registers the same folder multiple times	Disable the add-in via File > Options > Add-ins
Office File Cache	Stale cache entries from previous template locations	Clear the cache in %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache

After you clean up the duplicate entries, the File > New Backstage view shows each template only once. You can then use the search box in the Backstage view to quickly find any template. For ongoing management, set your Default personal templates location to a single folder and avoid storing template files in multiple locations.