One of the most recognisable elements within the interface of Microsoft Word 2003 was the toolbars. There were an awful lot of them, each offering a series of features on a related topic. With the launch of Word 2007, toolbars are no more. To some extent, their place has been taken by the Ribbon. However, there is another element in the Word 2007 interface which perhaps resembles toolbars even more: the Quick Access Toolbar.

The Quick Access Toolbar is usually displayed in the top left of the Microsoft Word application window. When the program is first installed, it contains just three icons: Save, Undo and Redo. To the right of these icons, there is a drop-down menu which allows you to customise the Quick Access Toolbar. The drop-down contains a selection of frequently used commands, such as a New, Open, Quick, Print etc. To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar, simply choose its name from the drop-down menu.

As well as these frequently used commands, the drop-down menu also offers an option labelled “More Commands”. This displays the Word Options dialog with the Customise category selected. Here, all the various commands built into Microsoft Word are available and this includes commands not normally displayed on the Ribbon.

If you are an existing Microsoft Word user and have recently upgraded to Microsoft Word 2007, you may find it useful to add some of the commands which you have become used to in previous versions. For example, if you like the icon which enables you to draw tables rather than insert them, simply scroll down to Draw Table, highlight the command and click on the Add button. When you click OK, you’ll see that this command has been added to the toolbar.

Another simple method of customising the Quick Access Toolbar is to add Ribbon commands. If there are commands you find yourself using frequently, you may find it convenient to add them to the Quick Access Toolbar. Simply click on any command and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar from the drop-down menu.

Once you’ve customised the Quick Access Toolbar in this way, you may find that you start using it more and more frequently. If that’s the case you may also find it convenient to place the Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon. To do this, in the Customize drop-down menu, simply choose Show Below the Ribbon.

In addition, if you find yourself relying more on the Quick Access Toolbar than the Ribbon itself, you can also minimise the Ribbon by choosing Minimize Ribbon from the drop-down menu on the right of the Quick Access Toolbar. When minimized, the Ribbon remains active: simply click on any tab to bring up the options. However, once you’ve used a command in that tab, the Ribbon will be minimized once more.

Finally, if you would like to remove items from the Quick Access Toolbar, simply right-click on the item and choose Remove From Quick Access Toolbar.

About the Author:
The The writer of this article is a trainer and developer with OnSiteTrainingCourses.Coms, a UK IT training company offering Microsoft Word training courses at their central London training centre.

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