Where is the Custom Dictionary for Microsoft Word located?

Building a robust custom dictionary in Microsoft Word takes a while as you add a handful of words at a time, but once i believe it, makes working on your documents a much more enjoyable task. Then, What do you do when you need to reinstall Windows and you don't want to lose your custom dictionary?

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The question

Shaqpad superuser reader wants to know how to find and save custom dictionary word list in Microsoft Office:

I use the Microsoft Office proofing tools, but I have run into a problem now that I have to reinstall Windows. After reinstalling Windows, the custom list of words I created in Office will disappear. I'm looking for a way to save my custom list so I can easily add it back to Office after reinstalling Windows.

Where can I find the list in?

Saving the list is definitely better than starting over from scratch, so, Is there an easy way to find and save it?

The answer

Superuser contributors mkruzil and and31415 have the answer for us. First, mkruzil:

When you add a word to the dictionary in Word 2010, appears in a text file here:

C: Users % username% AppData Roaming Microsoft UProof CUSTOM.DIC

You can copy this file to your new installation.

Followed by and31415's answer:

The username may not match the actual folder name and Windows might be installed on a different drive. You can use this instead:

% AppData% Microsoft UProof CUSTOM.DIC

The next time you have to reinstall Windows, you can easily save and reuse your custom dictionary now that you know where to look.

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