Did the new version 3.26 just overwrite and delete my export patterns???? Please don't tell me that it is true!!!!
See the documentation for possible locations:
Thanks for getting back. I have no idea where it was stored originally but my assumption was C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Mp3tag. There however I have just the new ones (according to Windows Explorer dating from 2022/04/23) that create any websites or what I don't know.
Did mp3tag create a backup before deleting my files? Why is such a major change not mentioned in the release notes? The 15 or so updates before, this folder was left untouched....
Carefull with such allegations.
To me it looks like you changed the installation type from "portable" to "Standard".
So, if you remember, into which you installed MP3tag previously, check that data folder.
Thanks I have checked the files in C:\Program Files (x86)\Mp3tag\export which I assume would be the portable installations folder but it contains the same preset files as the other folder onlz with a newer timestamp.
You would still have to look yourself as this a problem that can only be solved locally.
I can vouch for that an update installation does not delete custom files.
What about backing up your configuration files before installing new software? Less tears 
The portable installation folder is a folder which you define yourself during the installation process. Nobody else than you can know which folder you defined during installation. The folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Mp3tag with its subfolders is the standard installation folder for 32bit-non portable installations. The MP3Tag-64bit-Version will install in C:\Program Files\MP3Tag. For changing from 32bit to 64 bit installation look here:
Anyway it is not advisable to select a portable installation and then use the standard windows installations folder C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86). Simple users or non elevated users have no write permission to these folders and also should not get them and so spoil this system.
I never experienced that any of my Mp3Tag-installtions overwrote my personal files and settings.
To find your old export-scripts I would simply start a filename-search for these on all drives. Also look for files with the name mp3tagsettings.zip.
...as they say: you always know that you need a backup ... afterwards.
And that is usually when you start to make regular backups. Up to that point, it will never happen to you. 
@poster has described a number of locations for you and method to find mp3tagsettings.zip.
Where did you look and what was the result?
I doubt that your settings have simply vanished.
I can see the starting point of your reasoning and I have been unsure myself about where my files would have gone and how this chaos came about. To cut a long story short I managed to recreate most of the export scripts. I could not carry out a filename search as I was unsure about how I named them. But I have a neat backup now...
Well, a search for *.mta would include all files with the suffix mta which is used for actions by Mp3tag.