The new laptop looks finished: mail and Word open, and your documents are where you expect them. Then, halfway through an email, you reach for the reply you always insert and find an empty list.

That reply may never have lived in Documents. Classic Outlook Quick Parts, signatures, Word AutoText and AutoCorrect, and Mac text replacements have their own storage. I am Gerhard Petermeir at SPQRK IT-Services. I have helped small offices with their computers since 2013, and this is what goes missing on the first real morning.

Why the usual move misses these files

Windows Backup restores selected user folders through OneDrive, Windows settings, and app pins or installation links. It is not a full copy of every application's AppData folder. Microsoft's guide is for a personal Microsoft account: Windows Backup. Migration Assistant can transfer apps, user accounts, and settings, including after initial setup. If you set up the new Mac manually or omit the relevant account or data, check these saved texts separately. See Migration Assistant and migration after setup.

A PST export does not transfer Quick Parts. Keep the old copies until a real reply checks out.

Which case are you in

The Office file-copy steps below are for desktop Word and classic Outlook on Windows. Moving to a Mac or switching to new Outlook is a separate case: check the account-based features first, then recreate any missing text in the destination app. A PhraseVault library can be opened on either supported platform.

Before you copy: replace is not merge

Replacing a template or AutoCorrect file does not merge the old and new collections. Back up the matching files on the new PC first. If you need entries from both computers, transfer the missing entries selectively.

Find the owning file while the old app still opens.
Quit fully on both computers.
Copy the old file out and back up the destination.
Replace only if you want to replace the new collection with the old one.
Use the new language and version folder.
Insert a real reply and keep both backups.

If the result is wrong, quit Office and restore the destination backup. Renaming Normal.dotm or NormalEmail.dotm is not a merge, and Word's AutoCorrect dialog has no import button to use here.

Checklist: where it lives and how to move it

Paste a Windows path into File Explorer's address bar on the old PC. Each row has its own steps further down.

What	Where to find it	How to move it	Watch for
Classic Quick Parts	`%AppData%\Microsoft\Templates\NormalEmail.dotm`	Quit, back up, copy	No merge. PST skips them.
Classic signatures	`%AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures`	Sign in, then copy local files	Defaults per account
New Outlook	Settings, per account	Save into that account's list	Classic files may be absent
Word blocks / AutoText	`Document Building Blocks\1033\16\`	Copy the custom template	Folders 14, 15, or 16
Word AutoCorrect	`%AppData%\Microsoft\Office\`	Quit every Office app. Copy the relevant .acl files; include Normal.dotm for formatted Word entries.	One .acl per proofing language
Mac text replacements	System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements	Cmd+A, drag the .plist	iCloud Drive, same Apple Account
PhraseVault	The `.sqlite` file	Quit, copy, open	Preferences stay behind

Gmail templates stay with the Google account in a computer browser: Settings > See all settings > Advanced > Templates > Enable (Google). No file to copy.

Classic Outlook Quick Parts

NormalEmail.dotm is the usual file for classic Outlook Quick Parts. If an entry was saved in another template, copy that template too. Other templates are allowed in Microsoft's reusable blocks article. Microsoft's community answers describe the default Templates path.

Old PC: open a message in its own window and click in the body. Choose Insert > Quick Parts, right-click an entry, then choose Organize and Delete. Select the entry and open Edit Properties to read Save in; cancel without changing it. Quit Outlook and copy the owning template.
New PC: keep Outlook closed and back up the matching template. For the usual NormalEmail.dotm, copy the old file into %AppData%\Microsoft\Templates only if you want to replace the new collection with the old one. To keep both collections, insert each missing reply on the old PC and copy its content into a draft on the new PC. Select it and choose Insert > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. Give it a distinct name and confirm. For a different owning template, open the copied template when you want to use its entries.
Test in a popped-out message: Insert > Quick Parts, one real reply.

Classic Outlook signatures

First sign in to the same mail account and check its signatures. Supported Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts can already have roaming signatures; the folder-copy method below is for signatures that remain local. The roaming page excludes POP, IMAP, other mail services, and on-premises Exchange. Defaults can move into the mailbox while other signatures stay local.

For local classic Outlook signatures, start with %AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures. If that folder is absent, find the signature files on your installation rather than translating the folder name. That folder is on Microsoft's data-file page.

Old PC: quit Outlook and copy each local .htm, .rtf, .txt, and image folder.
New PC: back up first. A matching name replaces files. Copy into %AppData%\Microsoft\Signatures, then reopen Outlook and choose File > Options > Mail > Signatures. Select each email account and its defaults for new messages and replies/forwards, then click OK (signature article).
Test: send one message to yourself and check images and links.

New Outlook

As of October 2026, do not assume NormalEmail.dotm or the classic Signatures folder appears in new Outlook. Quick Parts are per account. Use Microsoft's Quick Parts page and the new Outlook note.

Old PC: while the old Outlook still opens, copy the text of each Quick Part you need into a plain note. Microsoft's Quick Parts guide does not document a direct import of NormalEmail.dotm, so the route here is to recreate missing entries. A plain note keeps the wording only; keep a formatted sample if layout or images matter.
New PC: open Settings > Mail > Quick Parts. For a missing Quick Part, paste its text into a new message, select it, then choose Insert > Quick Parts > Save selection to Quick Parts. Check the correct account's list afterward.

In new Outlook, open Settings > Accounts > Signatures and select the account. If a signature is missing, choose Add signature, give it a name, and recreate its content and formatting in the editor. Choose its use for new messages and replies/forwards, then click Save. Repeat for each account. The folder-copy procedure above is for classic Outlook.

Test: insert the Quick Part from that account, and send one signed message.

Word Building Blocks and AutoText

In Word, choose Insert > Quick Parts > Building Blocks Organizer. Select your entry and open Edit Properties to check Save in; close the dialog without changing it. AutoText uses the same property (Quick Parts, block properties).

Use the new Word installation's active language and version folder. The 16 folder is the current example; an older PC may use 14 or 15. Follow the template named in Save in. Building Blocks.dotx is the usual custom gallery file; Built-In Building Blocks.dotx contains Word's supplied entries. AutoText may instead belong to Normal.dotm or another template. English (US) example: %AppData%\Microsoft\Document Building Blocks\1033\16\Building Blocks.dotx. Microsoft community guidance on language and version folders describes these locations; it is not a Microsoft Support migration manual.

Old PC: read Save in, quit Word, copy that file. Normal.dotm is in %AppData%\Microsoft\Templates\.
New PC: with Word closed, back up the matching destination file. Put Building Blocks.dotx into the new installation's active language and version folder; a 14 or 15 folder copied from an old PC is not picked up on its own. Put Normal.dotm into the user-template folder, normally %AppData%\Microsoft\Templates; replacing it also replaces its styles and customizations (Normal template). For another custom template, keep the file in a permanent folder. In Word, open File > Options > Add-ins, select Word Add-ins under Manage, and click Go. On the Templates tab, click Add, select the file, and tick it under Global templates and add-ins (load a template). That loads it for the current session; to load it at every start, put it in the Startup folder shown under File > Options > Advanced > General > File Locations. To keep entries from both PCs without replacing a template, insert the missing content on the old PC and copy it into Word on the new PC. Select it and choose Insert > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery, or for AutoText, Insert > Quick Parts > AutoText > Save Selection to AutoText Gallery. Give each entry a distinct name.
Test: insert one building block and one AutoText entry.

Word AutoCorrect

1033 is English (US), and 1031 is German. Back up the AutoCorrect .acl files for every proofing language you use; the Office display language alone does not identify them. English (UK) is not 1033. Files such as MSO1033.acl sit in %AppData%\Microsoft\Office\.

Microsoft community guidance describes the language-specific lists and formatted Word entries. I have not found a Microsoft Support guide for the complete migration.

Old PC: quit Office, copy each language's .acl, and take Normal.dotm when formatting matters.
New PC: with all Office apps closed, back up the matching .acl files and Normal.dotm. Replace the relevant .acl only if you want the old list to replace the new one. For formatted Word entries, use the Normal.dotm restore steps above, including the warning about replacing styles and customizations. To keep both collections, open File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoCorrect in the relevant proofing language. For each missing plain entry, enter its trigger in Replace and its replacement in With, then click Add (AutoCorrect entries). Use a different trigger if you want to retain an existing pair. For a formatted entry, insert it on the old PC, copy the result with its formatting into Word on the new PC, and select it before opening that dialog. Choose Formatted text, enter the trigger, click Add, and confirm with OK. Save Normal.dotm if prompted. Leave the AutoFormat options unchanged.
Test: File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options, then one plain and one formatted replacement in that proofing language.

Mac Text Replacements

Open System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements. Apple's backup guide calls the export a property list. Keep the name macOS writes.

For Apple's sync route, set up iCloud Drive and use the same Apple Account on both devices. Check that the replacements have arrived before importing your backup.

Select the replacements you want, or press Cmd+A for all, then drag them to the desktop. Keep the .plist file macOS creates. On the new Mac, drag it into Text Replacements and click Done. Drag the current list out first. On a long list, compare the count before you erase the old Mac. One TidBITS test saw a large import fail. That is one report, not an Apple limit.

Test in an app that supports replacements. Apple's usage guide says they are missing from some apps. An import can succeed and still not expand there.

If something is missing

%AppData% is the signed-in Windows user. Show file extensions, and match the language and version folders.
Do not replace a different file because the name looks similar. Copy the Save in template, or the .acl for that proofing language.
If the destination is unclear, stop before replacing files. Recheck Save in and the new installation's active template folder. If you still cannot identify the matching file, recreate the missing entries through the app's save command instead of guessing from a modification time.
If the new PC is worse, quit Office and restore the destination backup.

Other tools, if you already use them

For current account-based TextExpander installations, install the app and sign in to the same account, then check that the snippets agree. Mac versions 4 and 5 use older sync methods; follow the version-specific guidance for those.

With Text Blaze, sign in to the same account in the extension and check your snippets.

For Espanso, run espanso path to find the configuration folder and copy it to the new installation. Check scripts and packages separately. With each tool, confirm that your latest edits have arrived before retiring the old computer.

Move a PhraseVault library

I move the PhraseVault library as one local SQLite .sqlite file. PhraseVault needs no account, collects no telemetry, and provides no cloud service. If you keep the file in your own Dropbox, iCloud Drive, or OneDrive folder, that service handles the sync; PhraseVault does not provide simultaneous editing or conflict handling. See the sync guide.

On the old computer, open Settings > Database > Open Current Database Location. Quit from the tray on Windows, or with Cmd+Q on a Mac. Closing the window only hides the app. Wait until quit finishes, then copy the file. The PIN page says the same PIN travels with that closed file.

On the new computer, install PhraseVault and copy the library into a permanent folder you can write to. Open Settings > Database > Open Database and choose it. Check an ordinary phrase, unlock one protected phrase with the old PIN, and insert a real reply before retiring the old computer. Copying the database keeps the library and its PIN, while installation preferences and license activation live separately.

For a JSON move of all unprotected phrases, choose Export All. Export Filtered transfers only the current matching results. Both omit PIN-protected phrases, even while unlocked. A cross-reference to an omitted protected phrase can stay unresolved, so copy the file for a whole library. On the new computer, select the exported JSON through Settings > Database > Import Phrases and review the preview before clicking Import.

Leave the settings file on each computer. It can hold paths from that install. Set a changed shortcut or theme again. Auto-lock is under Settings > Security, then click Save preferences. Paste your PV- license key into Settings and click Activate. Your licensed seat covers your own Windows and Mac devices for the version you purchased. One license is one person. Prices: phrasevault.app/pricing.

PhraseVault does not import native Outlook or Word template files, AutoCorrect .acl files, Apple's text-replacement plist, or a native PhraseExpress database. Compatible PhraseExpress CSV exports can use the CSV importer. Import Phrases also reads PhraseVault JSON, TextExpander CSV, and Espanso YAML. YAML does not bring every script, package, or extension.

I give each phrase a name I can search for, then open PhraseVault with the default Ctrl+. on Windows or Cmd+. on a Mac. You can change that shortcut. Search checks names and unprotected contents; protected phrases remain searchable by name, even while locked, but their bodies are never searched. Select the result and press Enter to insert it. You do not need a trigger abbreviation. Protected content or a fill-in field may prompt you first, and inserting requires an active trial or license. On a Mac, grant access under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility for automatic paste; otherwise paste the copied text yourself. Supported systems: Windows 10/11 x64 and macOS 13 Ventura or later on Apple silicon.

Start with twenty useful texts

I would first keep a full backup, then bring over twenty texts I still use. That gives me a working collection before I sort the rest.

Open one source beside a blank note and pick about twenty lines you still send.
Name them as you would search, such as "invoice reminder" or "parking note".
Save the named texts as a UTF-8 .csv file with commas, as in the example below. In PhraseVault, choose Settings > Database > Import Phrases and select it. Review the preview and warnings. Leave existing entries unchecked to keep them; check only those you intend to overwrite, then click Import. Put the cursor in your destination app, press the default shortcut, search for an imported name, select the right result, and press Enter.

name,text
invoice reminder,"Please send the outstanding payment, quoting your invoice number."
parking note,"Visitor parking is behind the building."

CSV imports these entries as plain text. Rebuild and test any formatting you need; Word fields and signature images do not become PhraseVault features just because their text was copied. Enclose a field in double quotes if it contains a comma, line break, or double quote. Inside a quoted field, write each double quote twice. PhraseVault can also hold formatted phrases; add those one at a time.

If you want one searchable collection

If you would like to use the same saved texts across your Windows and Mac apps, you can try PhraseVault for 14 days without an account or credit card. After the trial, the license is a one-time purchase for the major version you buy.