Error: Unable to Find the following Template File Used by This Map Document

Error Message

When opening a map document in ArcMap, the following error message is returned:

Error:   
Unable to find the following template file used by this map document

After the error is returned, there is an option to browse to the template file and access the customization.

Cause

This error occurs because the data is remapped to another network drive by the IP address, and causes a conflict between the existing map documents and the referenced templates.

A map template is a map document from which new documents can be created. After installing ArcMap, a standard template named 'Normal.mxt' is automatically created and put in a profile's location, depending on the operating system. For example, on Windows 7, the MXT file can be found in the following folder:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\ESRI\Dekstop10.3\ArcMap\Template

Solution or Workaround

The steps to fix this are as follows:

In the error dialog box with the option to browse for the missing template in another location, click Yes, and navigate to the appropriate referenced template.
Save the document to re-establish the association between the map document and the referenced template.

If the missing template is not customized, and the template only supplies the page layout or default content for the map, it is not necessary to browse for the missing template. Save the map document, and the reference template is re-associated with the map document.

Note:
If the option to save the map document is not given, use the MXD Doctor to analyze the broken MXD file. Open the MXD Doctor utility by navigating to All Programs > ArcGIS > Desktop Tools.
For more information on the MXD Doctor utility, refer to the following ArcGIS Web Help topic: Using the MXD Doctor utility.

Article ID: 000012527

Software: