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Context-sensitive tabs:

There are more tabs than the ones that show when Word starts. Other tabs appear when they are needed.

Example: The Table Tools tab group with its two tabs, Design and Layout, only appears when the cursor is in a table. That makes sense!

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Customizing the Ribbon

If you can write programming code, you can change a lot about the ribbon. That's no help for most of us!

In particular, for the ribbon that comes with Word:

• You cannot add commands or groups of commands to the existing tabs.
• You cannot rearrange icons or change the image for an icon on the existing tabs. 
• You cannot move the ribbon from the top of the window.
• You cannot switch back to the old toolbars-with-menus interface.

Hide ribbon: Right click on a tab and select Minimize the Ribbon or Collapse the Ribbon. Only the tab titles will show.

Show ribbon temporarily: Click on a tab.

Show ribbon all the time again: Right click a tab again and click on Minimize the Ribbon or Collapse the Ribbon again to uncheck that command and keep the ribbon in view. Or, double-click a tab.

Word 2010/13/16: More control of the ribbon

• Custom tab or tab group: You can add a custom tab to the ribbon or a custom group to one of the default tabs. You still cannot change the default ribbon layout.
• Import/export ribbon: You can transport your custom tab or group to a different computer that has Word 2010, 2013, or 2016 installed.

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Ribbon vs. Window Width

If the window is too narrow to show all of the ribbon items, groups on the ribbon will collapse.

This illustration shows all of the groups on the Home tab as collapsed for a very narrow Word window. Clicking the arrow at the bottom of the group opens a palette that shows what was hidden.

The Font group is opened in the illustration.

I don't think you really want to work with a window this narrow anyway!

Just don't be surprised when you don't see what you are looking for on the ribbon in a window that is slightly too narrow to show everything. You've been warned!

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Quick Access Toolbar

At the top left of the Title bar is the Quick Access Toolbar. By default it holds just three icons: Save,
Undo, and Redo.

Office 2007/10/13/16 remembers the last 100 actions! So the Undo button will back you up when you get carried away. If you back up too far, the Redo button will walk back through the actions.

Some actions can be repeated. The Redo button will change to the Repeat button in that case.

The More arrow at the right end of the bar opens a drop list of commands that you might want to add to the Quick Access Toolbar. A check mark in the list shows that the item is already on the bar. Just click on one of these popular commands to add it.

You can add icons for other commands that exist in Word, using More Commands... at the bottom of the list. Choose buttons for things that you do often, but which are not on the tab that is usually open when you need that command. This dialog is also where you can change the order of the icons on the bar.

Example: What I added to the Quick Access bar and Why 
Word 2007:
Word 2013:
Word 2016:
When I create a document for a math class, I often need to use superscripts for writing formulas like
a² + b² = c^2.  There is a button for superscript on the Home tab in the Font group. But, I found that I often wanted to superscript soon after I inserted a symbol. The button to open the Symbols dialog is on the Insert tab. Awkward!

So, I put a button for superscript formatting on my Quick Access bar. Exactly the situation for which the Quick Access Toolbar was designed. Even better, I put a button for Symbols on the Quick Access Toolbar, too! Now I can do symbols and superscripts easily, no matter which tab is active. 

I also added a button for Print Preview . In Word 2007 this replaces 3 actions: Office button > Print > Print Preview. In Word 2010, 2013, and 2016 this replaces 2 actions: File > Print. In your own work you might find other buttons useful.

Which print command is it?

• Print Preview and Print opens the File > Print view where you can make choices about what to print and where to print it.
• Quick Print immediately prints your document without allowing you to make any changes from the last time you printed. Do you know what the choices were?

You will be adding a few buttons to the Quick Access Toolbar as you go through the lessons. Feel free to add any other items that you find helpful with your other work.

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