Returning to the Office Classic Menu?

[John Gray]

As said above, it is not likely to go away unless Microsoft has a sudden change of heart. Why should they make things easier for the user, eh?

[hlewton]

As said above, it is not likely to go away unless Microsoft has a sudden change of heart. Why should they make things easier for the user, eh?

They never seem to do that, do they?

[PJ_in_FL]

Here's a short article I wrote to help my department get more efficient using the Ribbon-based UI. I hope these tips help anyone struggling to use the new interface ...

Using the "Hidden" Command Bar in Office 2007
The User Interface (UI) changed significantly with Office 2007, removing the familiar command bars and introducing the Ribbon. This new UI spread the commands across multiple categories, sometimes causing users to search through multiple tabs of Ribbons to find the tool needed.

With the Ribbon came the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). Where the Ribbon’s configuration is generally fixed (unless the user likes manually revising cryptic XML files), the QAT is completely configurable. Unfortunately, most people leave it in its default configuration (shown below), with only a few tools.

Standard.jpg

Configurability
Adding the most-used tools can speed up tasks in Office applications, especially Excel and Word, where many tools are available, but not always a single click away because they are hidden somewhere on the Ribbon. Right-click on the Ribbon and choose "Customize Quick Access Toolbar" to select the tools and the order you want on your toolbar.

A QAT configured with many useful tools could look like this example from Excel, with tools combined in logical groups:

Full-on-top.jpg

Accessibility
The QAT can also be made more easily accessed by moving it closer to your work area, the spreadsheet or document you're working on. By default, it sits at the very top of the window, above the Ribbon. If we’re going to use this toolbar instead of relying on the Ribbon it makes sense to reduce the distance between the toolbar and the data or document being worked. To do just that, right-click on the Ribbon and select the “Show the Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon” option. It’s as easy as that!

Move-to-bottom.jpg

Whether you like the Ribbon or not, it takes up a lot of real estate on the screen. Now that we've added the tools we use 80-90% of the time, we can also make the Ribbon go away unless you want to get to it. Again the option is accessible by right-clicking on the Ribbon, this time selecting the “Minimize the Ribbon” option.

Portability
Finally, once you've configured a QAT with the tools you use, you can take your QAT to another computer or share it with anyone else that needs the same tools readily available. The definition file for the QAT is located in each user’s application data area, and in Windows 7, located in the folder:

Code: Select all

C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office

The {username} part of the location above will be the user’s own login ID on their computer. This is sometimes a hidden folder, so to access the folder, copy and paste the entire folder path into the RUN command (quickly access RUN by pressing the Windows key and “R”). The folder will contain separate QAT files for Excel, Word and PowerPoint, in addition to a QAT for each form in Outlook (email, meeting request, appointment and email read forms). These files can be copied from one computer to another, between users, and the QAT will automatically be configured to the new definition when the application is next opened.

[HansV]

Thanks!

[hlewton]

Thank you PJ

[hlewton]

Portability
Finally, once you've configured a QAT with the tools you use, you can take your QAT to another computer or share it with anyone else that needs the same tools readily available. The definition file for the QAT is located in each user’s application data area, and in Windows 7, located in the folder:

Code: Select all

C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office

The {username} part of the location above will be the user’s own login ID on their computer. This is sometimes a hidden folder, so to access the folder, copy and paste the entire folder path into the RUN command (quickly access RUN by pressing the Windows key and “R”). The folder will contain separate QAT files for Excel, Word and PowerPoint, in addition to a QAT for each form in Outlook (email, meeting request, appointment and email read forms). These files can be copied from one computer to another, between users, and the QAT will automatically be configured to the new definition when the application is next opened.

I understand all of this and in the past I have customized the QAT. However, I am a little confused as to what the file name of the portable QAT is. I drilled down to the folder in the above example and see nothing I can recognize as the file you are referring to. I will post an attachment to show you what I see. Could it be the UI files you are talking about? If so Word seems to have 2 as does PowerPoint. So again I am not sure what files are portable.

Thanks

Office.jpg

[HansV]

PJ's description is for Office 2007. In its infinite wisdom, Microsoft changed it again in Office 2007. Customizations to the ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar are now stored in a file with extension .officeUI. For example, the customizations for Word 2010 are stored in Word.officeUI, and the customizations for the main Outlook application in olkexplorer.officeUI (the main Outlook window is the "Explorer").

The PowerP14.customUI and Word14.customUI files add a OneNote button to the ribbon in PowerPoint and Word, as far as I can tell.

[PJ_in_FL]

The files in my folder are:

Code: Select all

Excel.qat	 	
olkapptitem.qat	
olkmailitem.qat	
olkmailread.qat	
olkmreqread.qat	
PowerPoint.qat	
Word.qat	 	

As Hans wrote as I was creating this post, things changed after 2007 ...

[HansV]

The change was necessary because Office 2007 only allowed directly customizing the QAT; in Office 2010 and later, the ribbon is also customizable from within the applications.

[hlewton]

PJ's description is for Office 2007. In its infinite wisdom, Microsoft changed it again in Office 2007. Customizations to the ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar are now stored in a file with extension .officeUI. For example, the customizations for Word 2010 are stored in Word.officeUI, and the customizations for the main Outlook application in olkexplorer.officeUI (the main Outlook window is the "Explorer").

The PowerP14.customUI and Word14.customUI files add a OneNote button to the ribbon in PowerPoint and Word, as far as I can tell.

OK I guess I have to ask this. Are these files portable? If so would the, for example, word.officeUI work in Word 2013?

Thanks.

[HansV]

Yes - Office 2010 and Office 2013 share the same .officeUI files. There are some reports that the custom QAT buttons may be displayed in a different order in Office 2010 and Office 2013.

[hlewton]

Thanks Hans.

[hlewton]

Yes - Office 2010 and Office 2013 share the same .officeUI files. There are some reports that the custom QAT buttons may be displayed in a different order in Office 2010 and Office 2013.

I just setup 3 machines for both Word and Excel using the "UI" and it works great. Don't use PP that often so probably won't try it for that and I already had Outlook pretty much setup on each machine from day 1 but this is still nice to know. MS will probably change it for the next version of Office which I guess I'll see since I do have Office 365 on one machine. Still this worked great for now.

[DaveA]

In Office 2013, the "File" tab is NOT a tab at all, but a link to the "Backstage"!

[hlewton]

In Office 2013, the "File" tab is NOT a tab at all, but a link to the "Backstage"!

I'm not familiar with the term "Backstage" What does it mean?

[HansV]

When you click on File in one of the Office 2013 applications, the ribbon disappears:

S0112.png

So File does not act as a tab on the ribbon. The view you see in the screenshot above is called the 'Backstage'. To return to the document and to view the ribbon again, click the back arrow in the upper left corner:

S0113.png

[Rudi]

Also see this article for Office (Word) 2010.
It applies to all other Office apps too...

[hlewton]

Thank you both for the replies. I did look at the link as well as the attachments and had to start my computer that has Office 2010 on it to see what the link was showing. I had notice before that Office 2013 didn't show the tabs when clicking the "File" tab but didn't know it was called Backstage. Again, thanks.

[macropod]

You may find this helpful: https://support.office.com/en-us/articl ... n-US&ad=US" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BobH]

Thank you, Kim, for the link to the Search Commands add-on. It is now installed in my Office 10

Thank you, Rudi, for the wiki on the Category Groups. It has been in plain sight in front of my but somehow I missed the pull down arrows.

Between these 2 tips, my frustrations have been lowered significantly.

I'm going to add a dissenting vote on the ribbon. I spent many years using the MS Office tools for many hours each day. Navigation became second nature and lived in my fingertips just as does touch typing. The ribbon has been added since I retired. I now use MS Office software much less intensively. Because I use it less, the ribbon has not reached my fingertips and probably never shall. MS should have given the option, IMO. Having said that, I would encourage anyone who expects to use the products as a daily part of their work or leisure routines to adopt the ribbon and make it your own.