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How to Change the Appearance of Styles in Microsoft Word Toolbar? [Styles gallery on Home Tab]

Anonymous
2024-11-13T03:27:53+00:00

I am currently facing an issue with the Styles section in the Home tab of Microsoft Word (Office 365). Initially, the Styles toolbar displayed only the names of each style (like "Normal," "Heading 1," "No Spacing") in a text-only format, making it easy to identify and apply different styles quickly. However, recently, the Styles section changed to display each style with a preview icon (e.g., "AaBbCc") next to the style name. I would like to revert this section to the text-only appearance for improved readability and accessibility.

System Information:

  • Microsoft Word Version: Office 365 (fully updated)
  • Operating System: Windows 11

What I’ve Already Tried:

  1. Uninstalling and Reinstalling Office 365: I uninstalled Office 365 completely and reinstalled it, but this did not reset the Styles display.
  2. Updating Office: I ensured that Office is fully updated to the latest version, but the problem persists.
  3. Deleting Registry Entries: I removed Office-related registry entries after uninstalling to clear any potential settings cache, then reinstalled Office. However, this did not resolve the issue.
  4. Resetting the Normal.dotm Template: I deleted the Normal.dotm template file to force Word to create a new default template. This reset some settings but did not affect the Styles display.
  5. Disabling Add-ins: I checked for any active add-ins that might interfere with the display and disabled them, but this had no impact.
  6. Using the Styles Pane: While I can use the Styles Pane on the right to access styles by name, I would prefer to have the text-only appearance restored directly in the Styles section of the toolbar for convenience.

Screenshot of Current Issue:
[Attach your screenshot showing the current view of the Styles section with preview icons.]

Question:
Has anyone else experienced this issue or found a solution to restore the Styles section to display as text-only labels in the toolbar? Is there a specific setting or feature in Word or Office 365 that controls this aspect of the toolbar display?

Note: I’ve taken all troubleshooting steps I could think of, but none have reverted the Styles section back to its original appearance. I’d appreciate any guidance or additional solutions from the community.

Thank you for your help!

Best regards,
Ionel Sandu

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For education | Windows

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  1. Charles Kenyon 166.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-11-13T19:32:44+00:00

    Following up...

    It is possible to edit the registry and give the "New Experience"/"Visual Refresh" Styles appearance.

    This is done using the Registry Editor. RegEdit.

    IMPORTANT

    Any time you edit the registry, you should first export a backup. This is done using the File menu.

    The location is:

    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\ExperimentConfigs\ExternalFeatureOverrides\word

    The key for Microsoft.Office.UXPlatform.FluentSVRefresh needs to be set to "true."

    Image

    After the registry edit:

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  1. Charles Kenyon 166.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-11-13T19:51:18+00:00

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  2. Charles Kenyon 166.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-11-13T18:57:11+00:00

    In summary, it appears that the look you prefer was there for a while, and now Word has returned to showing a preview above the style name.

    I was surprised to see this, as I am having to use Word 365 on my laptop while my desktop is being repaired, and I'm pretty sure I hadn't performed the Registry edit to revert the "new look" on my laptop (which I rarely use and almost never in Word). I guess this is a response to the generally adverse reaction to the "new look."

    Stefan and Suzanne: I am delighted to hear of this change. I did have the registry edit and have removed it.

    I would have no objection to Microsoft making this optional, but really resented it.

    @Ionel

    Take a look on my article about this:

    New Experience/Visual Refresh Preview - Microsoft Office - Microsoft 365 - Turning it On and Off

    Is this the change you are talking about?

    Here is the Home tab before the New Experience/Visual Refresh Preview.ImageHere it is with the New Experience.

    Image

    Are we correct in guessing that you prefer the second view with fewer styles and the name formatted rather than a formatted sample with the name below? Or, are we mis-reading your question?

    If you want the second view, I will experiment to see if a registry entry can give it to you.

    The [Quick] Styles Gallery on the Home tab is one way to access styles, not necessarily the most useful way.There are other ways to display and use styles. Here is a link to a free Add-In that will give you options in your QAT to help with styles.

    Styles QAT Add-In (gives you access to many style features regardless of which ribbon tab is displayed)

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  3. Stefan Blom 338.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2024-11-13T08:07:27+00:00

    You can send feedback to Microsoft regarding this. Use Help > Feedback in Word.

    Note that the ribbon has changed repeatedly over time. Charles Kenyon has collected screen shots of the various appearances in his article at https://www.addbalance.com/word/ribbons.htm. In summary, it appears that the look you prefer was there for a while, and now Word has returned to showing a preview above the style name.

    The screen shot below shows what I see (business subscription, updated to version 2410, operating system Windows 11).

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-11-13T05:07:26+00:00

    Hi Ionel Sandu,

    As per the detailed description, I understand you want to revert back Word where the Styles toolbar displayed only the names of each style (like "Normal," "Heading 1," "No Spacing") in a text-only format to make it easy to identify and apply different styles quickly.

    In this situation, since in new Word versions the Styles toolbar displays the AaBbCcDd above the style name as default behavior, the only workaround is to use the ODT customization tool to install a previous version where Word still shows the text-only format. Overview of the Office Deployment Tool - Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn

    Besides, I agree this should be added as a setting in Word Options to let customers freely switch the Style display format from the classic and modern experience so that users can select the comfortable way during their edition in a more efficient way. I would suggest raising your voice directly in Word · Feedback Community (microsoft.com) **** to the Word product development team to let the engineers get informed of the real customer demand and so Word can improve a better user experience instead of updating everything without an option that may allow users to switch back the previous layout in Word.

    Meanwhile, I will make sure to keep your thread open and see if any other community members or Word MVPs may have a trick or customized VBAs/add-ins that can achieve the demand to switch back the appearance of Styles in Microsoft Word Toolbar.

    Please correct me if I made any misunderstanding or if there have anything else I can do for you.

    Your patience is highly appreciated. Hope you a nice day and stay safe!

    Best Regards,

    Mia

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