Abstract: Current cognitive and neural models of visual attention emphasize the role of working memory in biasing attention to task-relevant input. According to these models. the mnemonic maintenance of visual representations automatically creates an attentional template which prioritizes corresponding stimuli for selection. However, the past decade has provided evidence that visual working memory per se is not sufficient, nor necessary for guiding attention. I give a brief review of the field and of behavioral and EEG evidence from our lab, using paradigms that combine a memory task with a visual search task. This evidence suggests that for working memory representations to bias visual attention they require a privileged “template” status, while more passive “accessory” memories do not bias attention.