OCTOBER 2018
6
Make the Office Ribbon that
suits you and your job
By Arnold Villeneuve
Microsoft Office products all support a standard ribbon
menu with pretty much the same functionality with the
exception of product-specific tasks that differentiate them
(i.e., Word for documents and Excel for spreadsheets).
Although we are all using the same Microsoft Office
products we don't all use them the same way. Many of us
do very specific job tasks that require us to use the product
in a certain way. And Microsoft allows us to customize the
ribbon to help us work more efficiently. We can even create
new ribbon items that do specific functions.
The Microsoft Office Ribbon is made up of some core
components:
• Quick Access Toolbar for shortcuts to functions
• Ribbon Tabs to access different function groups
• Command Groups within a Tab to provide access to
commands or options
• Commands to provide a given function
• The Backstage which is Microsoft's term for the
File Menu which allows us to configure the Office
product in general such as the Ribbon
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Let's start with the QAT menu. Click on the QAT drop-
down arrow. You will see a Microsoft Office predefined
set of command functions. Then select More Commands.
The More Commands
option will bring up the
QAT options menu that will
allow you to add command
functions. Select the Add A
Hyperlink function on the
left and click the Add button
and then click OK. You will
now see the Hyperlink icon
within the QAT menu area.
Once you have
accomplished the
above, return to the
QAT / More Com
-
mands and try to lo-
cate some command
functions that will
help you be more efficient in your work and add them to
the QAT for future use.
Customize the Ribbon
When you first start Microsoft Office 2010, 2013 or 2016
you'll be presented with the start page, which is Back-
stage view. Here you can start a new document using
a pre-created template (including the Blank template),
or open an existing file. By default you'll see your most
recently used files listed on the panel to the left.
To customize the Microsoft Office Ribbon navigate
to the Office product Backstage by clicking on the File
menu Tab in the top left of the Office product you are
using. This will bring up a window with a number of
configuration options that apply specifically to the Office
product as a whole as opposed to the single document
you may currently be working on.
From the Backstage
menu click on Options.
Then select Customize
Ribbon. (You will no
-
tice you can also come
to this Options section
and configure the QAT
as well.)
Now add your very
own Ribbon Tab
Click on New Tab
button, then click on
the New Tab item just
created and then click
on the Office Ribbon
Customization New
Tab
Continued on page 7
