Revit 2023: Fixing Empty or Invalid Default Template Paths

Just when you think Revit has been installed with no issues, sometimes there are a few more steps to take to ensure success when working on your projects. To start, be sure that the Revit content is installed not only for the Revit families, but also for the Revit templates.  

If you have installed the Revit content package and are greeted by a message stating the path specified for default family templates is empty or invalid, you still have some work to do before you can utilize your Revit software. 

Thankfully, most Revit messages will have a link that takes you to the online Help that gives further information on what needs to be done. But to be safe, I have outlined what you need to do below. 

1. Have your IT professional verify the Revit content is installed and the folders are in the correct destination location.  

2.  Open the Revit Options dialog box and click File Locations.  

• If you do not know where that is located, open Revit Help and search for Options Dialog: File Locations Tab. 

3. Add the Revit project templates that you will be using by clicking the green plus symbol and navigating to the Templates folder (hint: the path location in the below image). The only template that does not have the same name as the intended discipline is the architectural template, which is called Default.rte for imperial and DefaultMetric.rte for metric. 

I hope this blog is helpful because missing Revit content and templates can be very frustrating and delay your progress. Visit the ASCENT website for more of my blogs and webcasts, or take a look at our Revit courseware titles. 

About the Author

Learning Content Developer<br><br>Cherisse is an Autodesk Certified Professional for Revit as well as an Autodesk Certified Instructor. She brings over 19 years of industry, teaching, and technical support experience to her role as a Learning Content Developer with ASCENT. With a passion for design and architecture, she received her Associates of Applied Science in Architectural Drafting and Design with a four-year core curriculum in Interior Design and has worked in the industry assisting firms with their CAD management and software implementation needs as they modernize to a Building Information Modeling (BIM) design environment. Cherisse continues to expand her knowledge in the ever evolving AEC industry and the software used to support it.

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