Creating new files from templates in Office: Save location issues

NFT
1

I’m having trouble with Office’s new file from template feature. I’m trying to use the URI scheme to create a file and specify where it should be saved. But it’s not working as expected.

Here’s what I’m doing:

  1. I have a template in our Office 365 group drive.
  2. I want new files based on this template to save in a specific folder in the same drive.
  3. I’m using this URI:
ms-word:nft|u|[template location]|s|[desired save location]

Both locations are in the same SharePoint site. When I open this URI, it creates the new file from the template just fine. But when I try to save, it doesn’t default to the location I specified.

Am I missing something? Has anyone else run into this problem? I’ve checked the docs and it seems like this should work. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot or fix this would be really helpful!

2

I’ve encountered this issue before when working with Office templates across SharePoint sites. One potential solution is to ensure you’re using the correct URI format for SharePoint locations. Try using the format:

ms-word:nft|u|https://[your-tenant].sharepoint.com/sites/[your-site]/[path-to-template]|s|https://[your-tenant].sharepoint.com/sites/[your-site]/[desired-save-path]

If that doesn’t work, double-check your SharePoint permissions for both the template and save locations. Sometimes inconsistent permissions can cause unexpected behavior.

As a last resort, you might consider creating a Power Automate flow to move the files after creation, though it’s not ideal for real-time use.

3

hey mia, i’ve had similar issue. maybe try using the full sharepoint url instead of the relative one; sometimes that fixes it. also check ur permissons, office can act up if theyre off. if nothing works, consider automating file moves with power automate.

4

Hey there Mia_17Dance! :slightly_smiling_face:

that’s a tricky one, isnt it? i’ve played around with office templates too and it can be frustrating when things don’t work as expected.

have you tried using the full sharepoint url like ethan suggested? sometimes office can be picky about that. another thing to check - are you sure the save location folder actually exists? i’ve gotten caught out by that before lol

just curious, what kind of templates are you working with? sounds like an interesting setup you’ve got there! maybe there’s a workaround we could brainstorm if we knew more about your specific use case?

let us know if you make any progress - i’d love to hear how you end up solving this!