Found other threads like this on other sites, none have real answers.

If you haven't started the college of winterhold questline he seems to gravitate towards the Hall of elements where you get your first training of a ward spell in the first "quest".

For some people if you are only partway through the college of winterhold questline he might be in Saarthal (sp?) as part of the questline he does state he's going to stay there until you do something the next step. So if you're at that point in the questline he's chilling down in Saarthal.

My personal situation is that I've completed every quest in the college of winterhold questline and I just want to bum some alteration training off him - but I can't find him *anywhere*. My general understanding is that the hall of countenance is where most of the teachers stay, and the hall of attainment is where most of the noobs (trainees) stay. I *did* notice that tolfdir had a tendency to actually hang out with the noobs instead of being in the hall of countenance. I've tried waiting for different times of the day and checking all the halls and the arcaneum - basically the entire dang campus and I can't find him. It's becoming really frustrating.

Is anyone else at the stage I'm at and having trouble finding him? Here is a person at my stage in another forum in the same situation I'm in. That guy simply can't be found! Very frustrating.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/615803-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/61119195

Help - anyone.

I almost always find him in the Hall of Attainment. He's a bit of a creeper, as he has a tendency to sit in the dark staring at sleeping students. He can be tough to see, I've run by him a bunch of times. Now I just use detect life to see where he is quickly.

I think I might have to go the detect life approach and see if this yields any results, I also seemed to notice him in the hall of attainment more often than any place but not until recently where it seems he's disappeared.

I find it easiest to just wait until they are sleeping.
The mages dont mind being woken up for a lesson and will teach and trade even in the middle of the night.
I believe Tolfdir sleeps in the student quarters.

He watches the Dark Elf sleep in her bed........a lot.....yea I dunno if Ol' Tolfdir is fit for teaching anymore :rofl:

:rofl: Yeah he spends way too much time in her room. I think he's a bit of a dirty old man!

Are all of you also complete with the college of winterhold questline and you're still noticing him in the dark elf's room at night?

Edit: I also implement the strategy of waiting until nightfall because then the buggers are finally in their beds. It's just Tolfdir for some reason.. he can't be found. I think the dang detect life spell must be alteration too so i need to find him to even get the spell to find him - conundrum indeed.

Not sure what it was but he started showing up in the hall of attainment at night again, maybe i was just missing him. Checking the dark elf's room is golden advice he likes to sit in a chair watching her sleep. Creeper indeed.

I'm having the same issue. He's just totally vanished from my game.

It's so strange. Even where he used to sleep it no longer says "Bed (owned)". It's almost as if he's been deleted.

It's really annoying because I want to learn the master alteration spells from him. I can't think he's died (I think he's essential) but I just don't get it, I can't find him anywhere - will check the hall of attainment and see if he's perving over the girl

Hall of Attainment for me too, sits there watching others sleep. Really creepy o_O

He usually sits in the apprentice quarters and watches random apprentices sleep. Creepy. During the day he often sits in the room with the Nord mage or the one that is "yours", during night...seems to be random.

Arcaneum? All the mages are a PITA to find when you want to glom some training from them.

I have been really hoping for a thread like this to appear...whew.

A couple days ago, I entered the courtyard of the college and saw Tolfdir on the other side, walking normally. As I began walking toward him, he suddenly "warped" across the courtyard and disappeared into thin air. I haven't been able to find him since!

My friend was watching me play at the time, and we looked at each other in disbelief, then just cracked up. Unfortunately the hilarity has since worn off, now that I can't find Tolfdir anywhere.

Well, technically, if you really believe he is gone, not just in the room you aven't checked, you could try to teleport him to you, or you to him via console. Just sayin'.

I think something similar must have happened to my Tolfdir too. I think it's since the new patch came in.

I want him back, pretty annoying