Can I change the display of the groups in the ribbon?

Question

Can I change the display of the groups in the ribbon?

Anonymous

Hi, all - Sorry if this has already been asked before, but if it has, I can't find a thread about it.

My laptop recently updated to the latest version of Word on Windows 10 in the last week or two. Since then, I haven't been able to easily access most of the selections in the groups in the top ribbon.

For instance, I use "Styles" all the time to fix spacing issues between lines, but the options aren't visible to me anymore. Meanwhile, I can clearly see tabs for "Adobe Acrobat," "Voice," and "Editor," none of which I ever use.

Here's what the ribbon should properly look like (I explain where I got this image below):

But here's what the ribbon looks like in smooshed mode (note even the blank space on the right, which could be filled with something more useful):

I have two monitors, one of which is bigger and displays everything correctly, but the smaller monitor on the laptop is closer and is where I do most of my editing work. Prior to the update, everything on the groups displayed just fine on the smaller monitor.

I've learned that I can click the down arrow on any of the tabs to display the missing information while on the smaller screen, but since the update should be an improvement over the previous version, adding extra steps to jump through seems counterintuitive to that idea.

Can I somehow get the old view back? If not, then (as the title of the thread suggests) can I somehow hide groups like "Acrobat," "Voice," and "Editor" so that I can see groups that I use, like "Styles," in their entirety again?

Thanks in advance!

***moved from Windows / Windows 10 / Desktop, Start, and personalization / General***

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Answer 1

The ribbon interface was formally introduced as the "fluent" ribbon. It reforms depending both on its content (the added groups) and window size and resolution.

Groups change into menus. You already notice the reforming between your two monitors. You can get some of the same effect by reducing the window size on a single monitor.

The Classifications group is from a local customization, probably an Add-In. The Acrobat group is from an Acrobat Add-In.

These imagers are my current Home tab with Ribbon tabs showing.

The group on the left was created through XML formatting and replaces the clipboard and editing groups. The template for this is a sample that can be found at Customize the Office Ribbon (It doesn't take rocket science) by Greg Maxey. You can download that template and save it in your Word Startup Folder. XML modification is worth learning but is not nearly as easy as picking things in the Customize the Ribbon dialog.

Here is the same ribbon when Word is in a smaller window;

As you can see, the first group was collapsed to a drop-down and fewer styles are showing.

I created a separate Styles tab using the Customize the Ribbon dialog. I often disable it.

I also have removed a number of groups from the Home tab using the Customize the Ribbon dialog. These changes have remained since I made them. The most recent one I removed was the Assistance group with Copilot and the Editor.

It was arrogant of Adobe to use space on your Home tab. I am unsure how you can deal with that. I have Acrobat but keep it on a separate tab. It may be that it is in Acrobat settings; I do not remember. You may be able to get help for that on the Adobe site.

Answer 2

Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 322.9K MVP Volunteer Moderator

See:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/new-experiencevisual-refresh-preview-microsoft/af0f6a03-52a3-439b-b449-029dc1e2c26a?LastReply=true#LastReply

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Answer 3

You are seeing the same Home tab on both screens.

That is the fluent Ribbon interface in action.

Much of this can be handled in the Customize the Ribbon dialog by removing groups or unchecking them.

If you remove the last four groups the others will widen.

You do not need the Editor button. F7 will call it and it is also available on the Review tab.

You do not need the Add-Ins group. It is available on the Developer Tab.

The Dictation group is unique. I've removed it because my typing is faster than my dictation with fewer errors. That is a personal choice. You could also add it to another tab that has more room.

I addressed the Acrobat group in my earlier post; it needs to be addressed through your Acrobat Add-In but does take up a lot of room.

Answer 4

Hi, Thomas A Holste

Thanks for posting in the community. 

I realize that you are experiencing the issue of the "Style" function in the Word ribbon being collapsed, and I understand how you feel.

You can customize the Word ribbon to hide tabs and groups that you don't use frequently, thereby restoring and optimizing the display of functions that you often use. Based on your description, you want to restore the old view and hide unnecessary tabs (such as "Acrobat", "Voice", and "Editor").

Here are a few steps to help you adjust the display of the Word ribbon:

Customize the Ribbon

You can customize the ribbon to add, remove, or rearrange the tabs and groups in the ribbon to make it more suitable for your needs:

Open Word.
Click the "File" tab at the top, and then select "Options" (at the bottom of the menu).
In the Word Options dialog box, select "Customize the Ribbon".
In the panel on the right, you will see a list of all the current ribbon tabs (you can switch to "Main Tabs" in the drop-down list of "Choose commands from" on the left). In the "Home" menu here, you can:

Remove the tabs that you don't need (such as "Adobe Acrobat", "Voice", "Editor", etc.).
Add the features you use frequently (such as Styles).
Rearrange the ribbon to place frequently used groups of features in more prominent locations.
```
 5. When you are finished, click OK to save your settings.
```

Please feel free to let me know how it goes. 

Best Regards, Zain.M - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 5

Hi, Charles! Thank you for the very detailed response.

Hilariously, at first I was unchecking boxes, clicking "OK," and then wondering why I saw no change. Of course I needed to leave those boxes checked and instead click on them and hit "Remove."

My ribbon has a lot less stuff on it now (I was even able to remove the Adobe items), and I can always add tabs back in if I need to (or even add new ones if they become useful).

Thank you again so much! :)

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Can I change the display of the groups in the ribbon?

6 additional answers