Fix Word AutoText Entries Loading Differently in Outlook Versus Word

You create AutoText entries in Word to reuse boilerplate text, but when you try to insert the same entry in an Outlook email, it does not appear or looks different. This problem occurs because Word and Outlook use separate storage locations for AutoText entries by default. This article explains why the entries are stored separately and provides step-by-step methods to synchronize them so your AutoText entries work consistently in both applications.

Why AutoText Entries Do Not Sync Between Word and Outlook

AutoText is a feature in Word that stores reusable content — text, images, tables, or formatting — inside a template file. By default, Word stores AutoText entries in the Normal.dotm template located in your user Templates folder. Outlook, when composing an email in HTML or plain text format, uses a separate template called NormalEmail.dotm. Outlook does not read Normal.dotm for AutoText suggestions. As a result, an entry you save in Word is invisible in Outlook unless you manually copy the entry to the Outlook template.

Another cause: Outlook uses Word as its email editor only when the option “Use Microsoft Word to edit email messages” is enabled in Outlook settings. If this option is off, Outlook uses its own basic editor, which does not support AutoText at all. Even when the option is on, Outlook still looks for AutoText in NormalEmail.dotm, not Normal.dotm.

Steps to Make AutoText Entries Available in Outlook

Method 1: Copy AutoText Entries Using the Organizer

The Organizer dialog lets you copy individual AutoText entries from one template to another.

1. Open Word and access the Organizer
   In Word, go to File > Options > Add-ins. At the bottom of the Add-ins window, next to Manage, select Templates from the dropdown and click Go. In the Templates and Add-ins dialog, click Organizer.
2. Select the AutoText tab in Organizer
   In the Organizer dialog, click the AutoText tab. The left pane shows AutoText entries from Normal.dotm. The right pane shows entries from NormalEmail.dotm if it exists, or it will be empty.
3. Open the Outlook template in the right pane
   Click the Close File button under the right pane, then click Open File. Navigate to: %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates. Select NormalEmail.dotm and click Open. If the file does not exist, Outlook has not created it yet. In that case, close the dialog, open Outlook, enable the option to use Word as the email editor, send a test email, then repeat steps 1-2.
4. Copy the desired entries
   In the left pane, click the AutoText entry you want to copy. Click Copy to move it to the right pane. Repeat for each entry. When done, click Close. Word may prompt you to save changes to NormalEmail.dotm. Click Save.

Method 2: Enable Word as the Email Editor in Outlook

Outlook must use Word as its email editor for AutoText to work at all in email composition.

1. Open Outlook Options
   In Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail.
2. Enable Word as the editor
   Under Compose messages, check the box for Use Microsoft Word to edit email messages. Click OK.
3. Restart Outlook
   Close and reopen Outlook. Now when you create a new email, the editor is Word, and AutoText entries from NormalEmail.dotm will be available.

Method 3: Create AutoText Directly in Outlook

If you prefer not to copy entries, you can create AutoText entries while composing an email in Outlook.

1. Open a new email message
   In Outlook, click New Email. The composition window opens with Word as the editor if you enabled the option in Method 2.
2. Select the text to save
   Highlight the text, image, or table you want to reuse.
3. Create the AutoText entry
   Press Alt+F3. The Create New Building Block dialog opens. Type a name for the entry. In the Save in dropdown, select NormalEmail.dotm. Click OK.

If AutoText Still Does Not Appear in Outlook

AutoText keyboard shortcut does not work in Outlook

The default AutoText insertion method in Word is to type the entry name and press F3. In Outlook, this only works if you are using Word as the email editor. If pressing F3 does nothing, verify that the option in Method 2 is enabled. Also confirm that the entry was saved to NormalEmail.dotm and not Normal.dotm.

AutoText entries appear but show incorrect formatting

Outlook uses a different default font and paragraph spacing than Word. An AutoText entry that contains direct formatting (font size, color, line spacing) may render differently in the email editor. To avoid this, create the AutoText entry in Outlook directly, or use the Paste Options button after inserting the entry to select Keep Source Formatting or Merge Formatting.

NormalEmail.dotm is missing or corrupted

If NormalEmail.dotm does not exist, Outlook creates it automatically the first time you send an email with Word as the editor. To force creation, enable the option in Method 2, compose a new email, type a character, and send it to yourself. Then check the Templates folder again. If the file exists but is corrupted, rename it to NormalEmail.old and restart Outlook to generate a fresh copy. Then copy your AutoText entries again using the Organizer.

Word AutoText vs Outlook AutoText: Key Differences

Item	Word AutoText	Outlook AutoText
Storage template	Normal.dotm	NormalEmail.dotm
Requires Word as editor	Always	Only if option enabled
Insertion method	Type name + F3	Type name + F3
Shared by default	No	No
Can be copied via Organizer	Yes (source)	Yes (destination)
AutoComplete suggestion	Yes	Yes if Word editor enabled

After copying your AutoText entries from Normal.dotm to NormalEmail.dotm using the Organizer, you can insert them in Outlook by typing the entry name and pressing F3. To keep both templates in sync, repeat the copy process whenever you add a new entry in Word. Alternatively, create all reusable entries directly in Outlook to avoid the sync step entirely. For advanced users, consider storing AutoText in a separate global template and loading it in both Word and Outlook via File > Options > Add-ins > Templates.