1. Explore Office 2016
In this chapter
Work in the Office user interface
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Practice files
No practice files are necessary to complete the practice tasks in this chapter.
The Microsoft Office 2016 suite of apps includes many apps that serve different purposes but are designed to work together to maximize efficiency.
The elements that control the appearance of an app and the way you interact with it are collectively referred to as the user interface. Some user interface elements, such as the color scheme, are cosmetic. Others, such as toolbars, menus, and buttons, are functional. Each app has standard settings based on the way that most people work with the app. You can modify cosmetic and functional user interface elements in each app to suit your preferences and working style.
The Office apps share many common user interface elements and functions. The ways in which you perform tasks such as opening, saving, searching, printing, and sharing files are standardized across the apps so that you can concentrate your learning efforts on the skills and features that are specific to the app or to the document, workbook, or presentation you’re creating.
This chapter guides you through procedures that are common to Word 2016, Excel 2016, PowerPoint 2016, and some aspects of Outlook 2016. It includes procedures related to working in the Office user interface, changing options for Office and for specific apps, and customizing the Quick Access Toolbar and ribbon.
Work in the Office user interface
The goal of the Office working environment is to make working with Office files, including Word documents, Excel workbooks, PowerPoint presentations, and Outlook email messages, as intuitive as possible.
The way that you start an Office 2016 app is dependent on the operating system you’re running on your computer. For example:
In Windows 7, you can start an app from the Start menu, All Programs menu, or Start menu search results.
In Windows 8.1, you can start an app from the Apps screen or Start screen search results.
In Windows 10, you can start an app from the Start menu, the All Apps menu, the Start screen, or the taskbar search box.
You might also have shortcuts to apps on your desktop or on the Windows taskbar.
When you start Word, Excel, or PowerPoint without opening a specific file, the app Start screen appears. The Start screen is a hybrid of the Open and New pages of the Backstage view. It displays links to recent files in the left pane, and new file templates in the right pane.
Tip
You can turn off the appearance of the Start screen if you want to go directly to a new, blank file. For information, see “Change Office and app options” later in this chapter.
When you’re working with a file, it is displayed in an app window that contains all the tools you need to add and format content.
Identify app window elements
A typical Office 2016 app window contains the elements described in this section. Commands for tasks you perform often are readily available, and even those you might use infrequently are easy to find.
Title bar
At the top of the app window, this bar displays the name of the active file, identifies the app, and provides tools for managing the app window, ribbon, and content.
The title bar elements are always on the left end, in the center, and on the right end of the title bar
The Quick Access Toolbar at the left end of the title bar can be customized to include any commands that you want to have easily available. Each app has a default set of Quick Access Toolbar buttons that you can build on; most commonly, the default Quick Access Toolbar displays the Save, Undo, and Redo buttons. You can change the location of the Quick Access Toolbar and customize it to include any command to which you want to have easy access.
Tip
You might find that you work more efficiently if you organize the commands you use frequently on the Quick Access Toolbar and then display it below the ribbon, directly above the workspace. For information, see “Customize the Quick Access Toolbar” later in this chapter.
Four buttons at the right end of the title bar serve the same functions in all Office apps. You control the display of the ribbon by clicking commands on the Ribbon Display Options menu, temporarily hide the app window by clicking the Minimize button, adjust the size of the window by clicking the Restore Down/Maximize button, and close the active document or exit the app by clicking the Close button.
Ribbon
Below the title bar, all the commands for working with an Office file are gathered together in this central location so that you can work efficiently with the app.
The File tab leads to the Backstage view
Tip
Don’t be alarmed if your ribbon looks different from those shown in our screens. You might have installed programs that add their own tabs to the ribbon, or your screen settings might be different. For more information, see “Customize the ribbon” later in this chapter.
Across the top of the ribbon is a set of tabs. Clicking a tab displays an associated set of commands arranged in groups.
Commands related to managing the app and files (rather than file content) are gathered together in the Backstage view, which you display by clicking the File tab located at the left end of the ribbon. Commands available in the Backstage view are organized on named pages, which you display by clicking the page tabs in the colored left pane. You redisplay the document and the ribbon by clicking the Back arrow located above the page tabs.
You manage files and app settings in the Backstage view
Commands related to working with document content are represented as buttons on the remaining tabs of the ribbon. The Home tab, which is active by default, contains the most frequently used commands. When a graphic element such as a picture, table, or chart is selected in a document, one or more tool tabs might appear at the right end of the ribbon to make commands related to that specific object easily accessible. Tool tabs are available only when the relevant object is selected.
Some older commands no longer appear as buttons on the ribbon but are still available in the app. You can make these commands available by adding them to the Quick Access Toolbar or the ribbon. For more information, see “Customize the Quick Access Toolbar” and “Customize the ribbon” later in this chapter.
On each tab, buttons representing commands are organized into named groups. You can point to any button to display a ScreenTip with the command name, a description of its function, and its keyboard shortcut (if it has one).
ScreenTips can include the command name, keyboard shortcut, and description
Tip
You can control the display of ScreenTips and of feature descriptions in ScreenTips. For more information, see “Change Office and app options” later in this chapter.
Some buttons include an arrow, which might be integrated with or separate from the button. To determine whether a button and its arrow are integrated, point to the button to activate it. If both the button and its arrow are shaded, clicking the button displays options for refining the action of the button. If only the button or arrow is shaded when you point to it, clicking the button carries out its default action or applies the current default formatting. Clicking the arrow and then clicking an action carries out the action. Clicking the arrow and then clicking a formatting option applies the formatting and sets it as the default for the button.
When aa formatting option has several choices available, they are often displayed in a gallery of images, called thumbnails, that provide a visual representation of each choice. When you point to a thumbnail in a gallery, the Live Preview feature shows you what the active content will look like if you click the thumbnail to apply the associated formatting. When a gallery contains more thumbnails than can be shown in the available ribbon space, you can display more content by clicking the scroll arrow or More button located on the right edge of the gallery.
Related but less common commands are not represented as buttons in a group. Instead, they’re available in a dialog box or pane, which you display by clicking the dialog box launcher located in the lower-right corner of the group.
Tip
To the right of the groups on the ribbon is the Collapse The Ribbon button, which is shaped like a chevron. For more information, see “Work with the ribbon and status bar,” later in this topic.
Entering a term in the Tell Me What You Want To Do box located to the right of the ribbon tabs displays a list of related commands and links to additional resources online. Or you can press F1 to open the Help window for the current app.
The easy path to help in any Office app
Status bar
Across the bottom of the app window, the status bar displays information about the current file and provides access to certain app functions. You can choose the statistics and tools that appear on the status bar. Some items, such as Document Updates Available, appear on the status bar only when that condition is true.
At the right end of the status bar in the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint app windows are the View Shortcuts toolbar, the Zoom slider, and the Zoom button. These tools provide you with convenient methods for adjusting the display of file content.
You can change the file content view from the View Shortcuts toolbar and change the magnification by using the Zoom tools
See Also
For information about changing the file content view, see “Display different views of files” in Chapter 2, “Create and manage files.”
Work with the ribbon and status bar
The goal of the ribbon is to make working with file content as intuitive as possible. The ribbon is dynamic, meaning that as its width changes, its buttons adapt to the available space. As a result, a button might be large or small, it might or might not have a label, or it might even change to an entry in a list.
For example, when sufficient horizontal space is available, the buttons on the References tab of the Word app window are spread out, and you can review the commands available in each group.
At 1024 pixels wide, most button labels are visible
If you decrease the horizontal space available to the ribbon, small button labels disappear and entire groups of buttons might hide under one button that represents the entire group. Clicking the group button displays a list of the commands available in that group.
Labels disappear, and groups collapse under buttons
When the ribbon becomes too narrow to display all the groups, a scroll arrow appears at its right end. Clicking the scroll arrow displays the hidden groups.
The width of the ribbon depends on these three factors:
App window width Maximizing the app window provides the most space for the ribbon.
Screen resolution Screen resolution is the size of your screen display expressed as pixels wide × pixels high. The greater the screen resolution, the greater the amount of information that will fit on one screen. Your screen resolution options are dependent on the display adapter installed in your computer, and on your monitor. Common screen resolutions range from 800 × 600 to 2560 × 1440 (and some are larger). The greater the number of pixels wide (the first number), the greater the number of buttons that can be shown on the ribbon.
The magnification of your screen display If you change the screen magnification setting in Windows, text and user interface elements are larger and therefore more legible, but fewer elements fit on the screen.
You can hide the ribbon completely if you don’t need access to any of its buttons, or hide it so that only its tabs are visible. (This is a good way to gain vertical space when working on a smaller screen.) Then you can temporarily redisplay the ribbon to click a button, or permanently redisplay it if you need to click several buttons.
To maximize the app window
1. Do any of the following:
• Click the Maximize button.
• Double-click the title bar.
• Drag the borders of a non-maximized window.
• Drag the window to the top of the screen. (When the pointer touches the top of the screen, the dragged window maximizes.)
To change the screen resolution
Tip
Methods of changing screen resolution vary by operating system, but you should be able to access the settings in Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 by using these methods.
1. Do any of the following:
• Right-click the Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 desktop, and then click Screen resolution.
• Right-click the Windows 10 desktop, and then click Display settings. At the bottom of the Display pane of the Settings window, click the Advanced display settings link.
• Enter screen resolution in Windows Search, and then click Change the screen resolution in the search results.
• Open the Display Control Panel item, and then click Adjust resolution.
2. Click or drag to select the screen resolution you want, and then click Apply or OK. Windows displays a preview of the selected screen resolution.
3. If you like the change, click Keep changes in the message box that appears. If you don’t, the screen resolution reverts to the previous setting.
To completely hide the ribbon
1. Near the right end of the title bar, click the Ribbon Display Options button.
The Ribbon Display Options button is on the title bar so that it is available when the ribbon is hidden
2. On the Ribbon Display Options menu, click Auto-hide Ribbon.
Tip
To redisplay the ribbon, click the Ribbon Display Options button and then click Show Tabs or Show Tabs And Commands.
To display only the ribbon tabs
1. Do any of the following:
• Double-click any tab name.
• Near the upper-right corner of the app window, click the Ribbon Display Options button, and then click Show Tabs.
• In the lower-right corner of the ribbon, click the Collapse the Ribbon button.
• Press Ctrl+F1.
To temporarily redisplay the ribbon
1. Click any tab name to display the tab until you click a command or click away from the ribbon.
To permanently redisplay the ribbon
1. Do any of the following:
• Double-click any tab name.
• Near the upper-right corner of the app window, click the Ribbon Display Options button, and then click Show Tabs and Commands.
• Press Ctrl+F1.
To specify the items that appear on the status bar
1. Right-click the status bar to display the Customize Status Bar menu. A check mark indicates each item that is currently enabled.
2. Click to enable or disable a status bar indicator or tool. The change is effected immediately. The menu remains open to permit multiple selections.
3. When you finish, click away from the menu to close it.
Change Office and app options
You access app settings from the Backstage view; specifically, from the Account page and the Options dialog box.
Manage account information
The Account page of the Backstage view in each Office app displays information that is specific to your installation of the app. This information includes:
Your Microsoft account and links to manage it.
The current app window background and theme.
Storage locations and services (such as Facebook and LinkedIn) that you’ve connected Office to.
Your subscription information and links to manage the subscription, if you have Office through an Office 365 subscription.
The app version number and update options.
Account information in Excel
The two ways you can personalize the appearance of your app window are by choosing an Office background and an Office theme. (These are specific to Office and aren’t in any way associated with the Windows theme or desktop background.) The background is a subtle design that appears in the title bar of the app window. There are 14 different backgrounds to choose from, or you can choose to not have a background.
Backgrounds depict a variety of subjects
At the time of this writing, there are three Office themes:
Colorful Displays the title bar and ribbon tabs in the color specific to the app, and the ribbon commands, status bar, and Backstage view in light gray
Dark Gray Displays the title bar and ribbon tabs in dark gray, and the ribbon commands, status bar, and Backstage view in light gray
White Displays the title bar, ribbon tabs, and ribbon commands in white, and the status bar in the app-specific color
There are rumors that another theme will be released in the near future, but it hasn’t yet made an appearance.
Tip
The images in this book depict the No Background option to avoid interfering with the display of any user interface elements, and the Colorful theme so that it’s easy to differentiate between the Office apps.
From the Connected Services area of the page, you can connect Office to Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube accounts to access pictures and videos; to Microsoft SharePoint sites and OneDrive storage locations; and to LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to share documents. You must already have an account with one of these services to connect Office to it.
The changes that you make on the Account page apply to all the Office apps installed on all the computers associated with your account. For example, changing the Office background in Word on one computer also changes it in Outlook on any other computer on which you’ve associated Office with the same account.
To display your Office account settings
1. Start Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook.
2. Click the File tab to display the Backstage view of the app, and then do either of the following:
• In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, click Account.
• In Outlook, click Office Account.
To manage your Microsoft account connection
1. Display the Account page of the Backstage view.
2. In the User Information area, click any of the links to begin the selected process.
To change the app window background for all Office apps
1. Display the Account page of the Backstage view.
2. In the Office Background list, point to any background to display a live preview in the app window, and then click the background you want.
To change the app window color scheme for all Office apps
1. Display the Account page of the Backstage view.
2. In the Office Theme list, click Colorful, Dark Gray, or White.
To connect to a cloud storage location or social media service
1. Display the Account page of the Backstage view.
2. At the bottom of the Connected Services area, click Add a service, click the type of service you want to add, and then click the specific service.
To manage your Office 365 subscription
1. Display the Account page of the Backstage view.
2. In the Product Information area, click the Manage Account button to display the sign-in page for your Office 365 management interface.
3. Provide your account credentials and sign in to access your options.
To manage Office updates
1. Display the Account page of the Backstage view.
2. Click the Update Options button, and then click the action you want to take.
You can install available updates from the Backstage view before the automatic installation occurs
Manage app options
Clicking Options in the left pane of the Backstage view opens the app-specific Options dialog box. Every Options dialog box has a General tab that contains user-specific information that is shared among the Office apps. Some of this is the same information you can configure on the Account page of the Backstage view.
You can customize the behavior of each app from its Options dialog box
Each app’s Options dialog box contains hundreds of settings that are specific to that app. For example, you can make the following useful changes:
In Word, you can change the default behavior when pasting content, or automatically download local copies of remote files, and update the remote files when you save the local versions.
In Excel, you can change the direction that the cell selection moves when you press the Enter key, or hide comment indicators in cells.
In PowerPoint, you can hide the toolbar that appears by default in full-screen slide shows, or choose to not automatically display a black slide at the end of slide shows.
In Outlook, you can customize your calendar so that the working days reflect your schedule, or add the holidays of any country or region to your calendar.
There are also settings that are specific to the file you’re working in. For example, you can hide spelling or grammar errors in a specific document, or specify the image compression level for a document or presentation to increase image quality or decrease file size.
Tip
Although detailed coverage of each app’s Options dialog box is beyond the scope of this book, extensive information is available in the Step by Step book for each app: Microsoft Word 2016 Step by Step, Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 Step by Step, and Microsoft Outlook 2016 Step by Step, all by Joan Lambert (Microsoft Press, 2015), and Microsoft Excel 2016 Step by Step by Curtis Frye (Microsoft Press, 2015).
Some settings are available in all the app Options dialog boxes, including the following:
You can turn off the Mini Toolbar, which hosts common formatting commands and appears by default when you select content.
You can turn off the Live Preview feature if you find it distracting to have document formatting change when the pointer passes over a formatting command.
You can minimize or turn off the display of ScreenTips when you point to buttons.
You can specify the user name and initials you want to accompany your comments and tracked changes, and override the display of information from the account associated with your installation of Office.
You can turn off the Start screens for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint individually. When the Start screen is turned off, starting the app without opening a specific file automatically creates a new, blank file.
After you work with an app for a while, you might want to refine more settings to tailor the app to the way you work. Knowing what options are available in the Options dialog box is helpful in determining the changes that you can make to the app so that you can work most efficiently.
Tip
Two app elements you can customize from the Options dialog box are the Quick Access Toolbar and the ribbon. For information, see “Customize the Quick Access Toolbar” and “Customize the ribbon” later in this chapter.
To open an app-specific Options dialog box
1. Click the File tab to display the Backstage view.
2. In the left pane, click Options.
To enable or disable the Mini Toolbar
1. Open the app-specific Options dialog box.
2. On the General page, in the User Interface options area, select or clear the Show Mini Toolbar on selection check box. Then click OK.
To enable or disable the Live Preview feature
1. Open the app-specific Options dialog box.
2. On the General page, in the User Interface options area, select or clear the Enable Live Preview check box. Then click OK.
To control the display of ScreenTips
1. Open the app-specific Options dialog box.
2. On the General page, in the User Interface options area, display the ScreenTip style list, and then click any of the following:
• Show feature descriptions in ScreenTips
• Don’t show feature descriptions in ScreenTips
• Don’t show ScreenTips
To change the user identification that appears in comments and tracked changes
Important
The User Name and Initials settings are shared by all the Office apps, so changing them in any one app changes them in all the apps.
1. Open the app-specific Options dialog box.
2. On the General page, in the Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office area, do the following:
• In the User name and Initials boxes, enter the information you want to use.
• Select the Always use these values regardless of sign in to Office check box.
3. In the Options dialog box, click OK.
To enable or disable the Start screen for the app
1. Open the app-specific Options dialog box.
2. On the General page, in the Start up options area, select or clear the Show the Start screen when this application starts check box.
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
By default, buttons representing the Save, Undo, and Redo commands appear on the Quick Access Toolbar. If you regularly use a few commands that are scattered on various tabs of the ribbon and you don’t want to switch between tabs to access the commands, you might want to add them to the Quick Access Toolbar so that they’re always available to you.
You can add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar directly from the ribbon, or from the Quick Access Toolbar page of the app-specific Options dialog box.
The Quick Access Toolbar is the most convenient command organization option
You can display a list of commands that do not appear on the ribbon by clicking Commands Not In The Ribbon in the Choose Commands From list on the Quick Access Toolbar or Customize Ribbon page of the app-specific Options dialog box.
You can customize the Quick Access Toolbar in the following ways:
You can define a custom Quick Access Toolbar for all documents, or you can define a custom Quick Access Toolbar for a specific document.
You can add any command from any group of any tab, including tool tabs, to the toolbar.
You can display a separator between different types of buttons.
You can move commands around on the toolbar until they are in the order you want.
You can reset everything back to the default Quick Access Toolbar configuration.
After you add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar, you can reorganize them and divide them into groups to simplify the process of locating the command you want.
As you add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar, it expands to accommodate them. If you add a lot of commands, it might become difficult to view the text in the title bar, or all the commands on the Quick Access Toolbar might not be visible, defeating the purpose of adding them. To resolve this problem and also position the Quick Access Toolbar closer to the file content, you can move the Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon.
To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar from the ribbon
1. Do either of the following:
• Right-click a command on the ribbon, and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar. You can add any type of command this way; you can even add a drop-down list of options or gallery of thumbnails.
• At the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button. On the menu of commonly used commands, click a command you want to add.
To display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Options dialog box
1. Do any of the following:
• At the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button, and then click More Commands.
• Click the File tab and then, in the left pane of the Backstage view, click Options. In the left pane of the Options dialog box, click Quick Access Toolbar.
• Right-click any ribbon tab or empty area of the ribbon, and then click Customize Quick Access Toolbar.
To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar from the Options dialog box
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the Choose commands from list, click the tab the command appears on, or click Popular Commands, Commands Not in the Ribbon, All Commands, or Macros.
3. In the left list, locate and click the command you want to add to the Quick Access Toolbar. Then click the Add button.
4. Make any other changes, and then click OK in the Options dialog box.
To move the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Do either of the following:
• At the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button, and then click Show Below the Ribbon or Show Above the Ribbon.
• Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Options dialog box. Below the Choose Commands From pane, select or clear the Show Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon check box.
To define a custom Quick Access Toolbar for a specific file
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize Quick Access Toolbar list (above the right pane) click For file name.
3. Add the commands to the toolbar that you want to make available to anyone who edits the file, and then click OK. The app displays the file-specific Quick Access Toolbar to the right of the user’s own Quick Access Toolbar.
Tip
If a command is on a user’s Quick Access Toolbar and also on a file-specific Quick Access Toolbar, it will be shown in both toolbars.
To display a separator on the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the right pane, click the command after which you want to insert the separator.
3. Do either of the following:
• In the left pane, double-click <Separator>.
• Click <Separator> in the left pane, and then click the Add button.
4. Make any other changes you want, and then click OK.
To move buttons on the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the right pane, click the button you want to move. Then click the Move Up or Move Down arrow until it reaches the position you want.
To reset the Quick Access Toolbar to its default configuration
1. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the lower-right corner, click Reset, and then click either of the following:
• Reset only Quick Access Toolbar
• Reset all customizations
3. In the Microsoft Office message box verifying the change, click Yes.
Important
Resetting the Quick Access Toolbar does not change its location. You must manually move the Quick Access Toolbar by using either of the procedures described earlier.
Customize the ribbon
The ribbon was designed to make all the commonly used commands visible so that people can more easily discover the full potential of an Office 2016 app. But many people use the same app to perform the same set of tasks all the time, and for them, seeing buttons (or even entire groups of buttons) that they never use is just another form of clutter.
Would you prefer to display fewer commands, not more? Or would you prefer to display more specialized groups of commands? Well, you can. From the Customize Ribbon page of an an app’s Options dialog box, you can control the tabs that appear on the ribbon, and the groups that appear on the tabs.
On this page, you can customize the ribbon in the following ways:
You can hide an entire tab.
You can remove a group of commands from a tab. (The group is not removed from the app, only from the tab.)
You can move or copy a group of commands to another tab.
You can create a custom group on any tab and then add commands to it. (You cannot add commands to a predefined group.)
You can create a custom tab. For example, you might want to do this if you use only a few commands from each tab and you find it inefficient to flip between them.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the ribbon to come up with the configuration that best suits the way you work. If at any point you find that your new ribbon is harder to work with rather than easier, you can easily reset everything back to the default configuration.
Although customizing the default ribbon content might seem like a great way of making the app yours, we don’t recommend doing so. A great deal of research has been done about the way that people use the commands in each app, and the ribbon has been organized to reflect the results of that research. If you modify the default ribbon settings, you might end up inadvertently hiding or moving commands that you need. Instead, consider the Quick Access Toolbar to be the command area that you customize and make your own. If you add all the commands you use frequently to the Quick Access Toolbar, you can hide the ribbon and have extra vertical space for document display (this is very convenient when working on a smaller device). Or, if you really want to customize the ribbon, do so by gathering your most frequently used commands on a custom tab, and leave the others alone.
To display the Customize Ribbon page of the Options dialog box
1. Do either of the following:
• Display the Options dialog box, and in the left pane, click Customize Ribbon.
• Right-click any ribbon tab or empty area of the ribbon, and then click Customize the Ribbon.
To permit or prevent the display of a tab
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize the Ribbon list, click the tab set you want to manage:
• All Tabs
• Tool Tabs
• Main Tabs
3. In the right pane, select or clear the check box of any tab other than the File tab. (You can’t hide the File tab.)
To remove a group of commands from a tab
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize the Ribbon list, click the tab set you want to manage.
3. In the right pane, click the Expand button (+) to the left of the tab you want to modify.
4. Click the group you want to remove, and then in the center pane, click the Remove button.
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Options dialog box.
2. On the Customize Ribbon page, click the New Tab button to insert a new custom tab below the active tab in the right pane. The new tab includes an empty custom group.
Creating a new tab and group
To rename a custom tab
1. Click the custom tab, and then click the Rename button.
2. In the Rename dialog box, replace the existing tab name with the tab name you want, and then click OK.
To rename a custom group
1. Click the custom group, and then click the Rename button to open a Rename dialog box that includes icons.
2. In the Rename dialog box, change the display name, click the symbol you want to display when the ribbon is too narrow to display the group’s commands, and then click OK.
To create a custom group
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Options dialog box.
2. On the Customize Ribbon page, in the right pane, click the tab you want to add the group to. Then click the New Group button to add an empty custom group.
To add commands to a custom group
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the Customize the Ribbon list, expand the tab set you want to manage, and then click the group you want to add the commands to.
3. In the Choose commands from list, click the tab the command appears on, or click Popular Commands, Commands Not in the Ribbon, All Commands, or Macros.
4. In the left list, locate and click the command you want to add to the group. Then click the Add button.
5. Make any other changes, and then click OK.
To reset the ribbon to its default configuration
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Options dialog box.
2. In the lower-right corner, click Reset, and then click either of the following:
• Reset only selected Ribbon Tab
• Reset all customizations
Skills review
In this chapter, you learned how to:
Work in the Office user interface
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Work in the Office user interface
Start Word, create a new blank document, maximize the app window, and then perform the following tasks:
1. On each tab of the ribbon, do the following:
• Review the available groups and commands.
• Display the ScreenTip of any command you’re not familiar with. Notice the different levels of detail in the ScreenTips.
• If a group has a dialog box launcher in its lower-right corner, click the dialog box launcher to display the associated dialog box or pane.
2. Change the width of the app window and notice the effect it has on the ribbon. When the window is narrow, locate a group button and click it to display the commands.
3. Maximize the app window. Hide the ribbon entirely, and notice the change in the app window. Redisplay the ribbon tabs (but not the commands). Temporarily display the ribbon commands, and then click away from the ribbon to close it.
4. Use any of the procedures described in this chapter to permanently redisplay the ribbon tabs and commands.
5. Display the status bar shortcut menu, and identify the tools and statistics that are currently displayed on the status bar. Add any indicators to the status bar that will be useful to you.
6. Keep Word open for use in a later set of practice tasks.
Change Office and app options
Start Excel, create a new blank workbook, and then perform the following tasks:
1. Display the Account page of the Backstage view and review the information that is available there.
2. Expand the Office Background list. Point to each theme to display a live preview of it. Then click the theme you want to apply.
3. Apply each of the Office themes, and consider its merits. Then apply the theme you like best.
Tip
If you apply a theme other than Colorful, your interface colors will be different from the interface shown in the screenshots in this book, but the functionality will be the same.
4. Review the services that Office is currently connected to. Expand the Add a service menu and point to each of the menu items to display the available services. Connect to any of these that you want to use.
5. Click the Update Options button and note whether updates are currently available to install.
Tip
The update process takes about 10 minutes, and requires that you exit all the Office apps and Internet Explorer. If updates are available, apply them after you finish the practice tasks in this chapter.
6. On the Update Options menu, click View Updates to display the What’s New and Improved in Office 2016 webpage in your default browser. Review the information on this page to learn about any new features that interest you.
7. Return to Excel and open the Excel Options dialog box.
8. Explore each page of the dialog box. Notice the sections and the settings in each section. Note the settings that apply only to the current file.
9. Review the settings on the General page, and modify them as necessary to fit the way you work. Then close the dialog box.
10. Keep Excel open for use in the next set of practice tasks.
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Display the Excel app window, and then perform the following tasks:
1. Move the Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon. Consider the merits of this location versus the original location.
2. From the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu, add the Sort Ascending command to the Quick Access Toolbar.
3. From the Home tab of the ribbon, add the following commands to the Quick Access Toolbar:
• From the Number group, add the Number Format list.
• From the Styles group, add the Format as Table command.
Notice that each of the commands is represented on the Quick Access Toolbar exactly as it is on the ribbon. Clicking Number Format displays a list, and clicking Format As Table displays a gallery.
4. From the Sheet Options group on the Page Layout tab, add the View Gridlines command and the View Headings commands to the Quick Access Toolbar. Notice that the commands are represented on the Quick Access Toolbar as identically labeled check boxes.
5. Point to each of the View commands on the Quick Access Toolbar and then on the ribbon to display its ScreenTip. Notice that ScreenTips for commands on the Quick Access Toolbar are identical to those for commands on the ribbon.
6. Display the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Excel Options dialog box, and then do the following:
• In the left pane, display the commands that appear on the View tab.
• Add the Page Break Preview button from the View tab to the Quick Access Toolbar.
• In the right pane, move the Sort Ascending button to the bottom of the list so that it will be the rightmost button on the Quick Access Toolbar (immediately to the left of the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button).
• Insert a separator between the original commands and the commands you added in this task set.
• Insert two separators between the Number Format and Format As Table commands.
7. Close the Excel Options dialog box and observe your customized Quick Access Toolbar. Note the way that a single separator sets off commands, and the way that a double separator sets off commands.
8. Redisplay the Quick Access Toolbar page of the Excel Options dialog box.
9. Reset the Quick Access Toolbar to its default configuration, and then close the dialog box. Notice that resetting the Quick Access Toolbar does not change its location.
10. Close the workbook without saving it.
1. Display the Customize Ribbon page of the Word Options dialog box.
2. Remove the Mailings tab from the ribbon, and add the Developer tab (if it isn’t already shown).
3. Create a custom tab and name it MyShapes.
4. Move the MyShapes tab to the top of the right pane so that it will be the leftmost optional ribbon tab (immediately to the right of the File tab).
5. Change the name of the custom group on the MyShapes tab to Curved Shapes, and select a curved or circular icon to represent the group.
6. Create another custom group on the MyShapes tab. Name the group Angular Shapes, and select a square or triangular icon to represent the group.
7. In the Choose commands from list, click Commands Not in the Ribbon. From the list, add the Arc and Oval commands to the Curved Shapes group. Then add the Isosceles Triangle and Rectangle commands to the Angular Shapes group.
8. Close the Word Options dialog box and display your custom tab. Click the Arc command, and then drag on the page to draw an arc.
9. Change the width of the app window to collapse at least one custom group, and verify that the group button displays the icon you selected.
10. Restore the app window to its original width and redisplay the Customize Ribbon page of the Word Options dialog box.
11. Reset the ribbon to its default configuration, and then close the dialog box.
12. Close the document without saving it.