When you first start some of the programs in 2007 Microsoft Office system, you may be surprised by what you see. The menus and toolbars in some programs have been replaced with the Ribbon, which is part of the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface.
The Ribbon as it appears in Microsoft Office Word 2007
The Ribbon is designed to help you quickly find the commands that you need to complete a task. Commands are organized in logical groups, which are collected together under tabs. Each tab relates to a type of activity, such as writing or laying out a page. To reduce clutter, some tabs are shown only when needed. For example, the Picture Tools tab is shown only when a picture is selected.
Programs that use the Ribbon
The Ribbon is featured in the following 2007 Microsoft Office system programs:
- Office Access 2007
- Office Excel 2007
- Office PowerPoint 2007
- Office Word 2007
- Office Outlook 2007 (in open items such as Mail, Contacts, and Appointments)
Minimize the Ribbon
The Ribbon is designed to help you quickly find the commands that you need to complete a task. Commands are organized in logical groups that are collected together under tabs. Each tab relates to a type of activity, such as writing or laying out a page. To reduce screen clutter, some tabs are shown only when they are needed.
There is no way to delete or replace the Ribbon with the toolbars and menus from the earlier versions of Microsoft Office. However, you can minimize the Ribbon to make more space available on your screen.
Always keep the Ribbon minimized
- Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar
.
- In the list, click Minimize the Ribbon.
- To use the Ribbon while it is minimized, click the tab you want to use, and then click the option or command you want to use.
For example, with the Ribbon minimized, you can select text in your Microsoft Office Word document, click the Home tab, and then in the Font group, click the size of the text you want. After you click the text size you want, the Ribbon goes back to being minimized.
Keep the Ribbon minimized for a short time
Restore the Ribbon
- Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar .
- In the list, click Minimize the Ribbon.
Keyboard shortcut To minimize or restore the Ribbon, press CTRL+F1.
Tip You can still use the keyboard shortcuts while the Ribbon is minimized. For more information about keyboard shortcuts, see Use the keyboard to work with Ribbon programs.