EXCEL Floating toolbars - formatting palette. MISSING

Question

Frustrated Excel Mac user here.

Have just upgraded to Microsoft 365 for 6 users from Microsoft excel for mac 2028. On my laptop first (thank goodness) as I'm now having and issue with the functionality. Its very disappointing feels like its the free numbers application my mac came with.

I loves the older version of Excel and I got very quick using the break away/popup/floating (if this is what you call them) options for some of the features in the main dock/ribbon on the top of the Excel page. I could have these small floating versions on screen floating while I colour and format my spreadsheets. This was wonderful as it meant I did not have to continually go back to the top of the screen to format cells, fonts and formula etc. The colour one does pop out however you need to close it each time and reopen it to colour a new cell very hard on the wrists :(

Sadly I have been trying now literally for a half a day to trouble shoot why this newer version does not let me float my colour palette or a formatting palette on my worksheet near to where I am working.

I have looked at mini toolbar, macros (cant really get my head around this) add ins (cant find any to suit what I need) I have even reached out to social media and got sent here.

Its really ordinary if this feature has been removed and I would not have upgraded to the latest version if I had know it was so bad.

Any assistance with this issue would be so helpful.

many thanks in advance.

PS I have images of what the floating menus look like however can't post in this area - shame.

Answer 1

Floating Toolbars! My Mac Pro is dead and so I can't test the mac version of Excel 365. However, back in 2007 Microsoft decided that PC people didn't need floating toolbars, I had an in with Microsoft engineers at the time and was told that it wasn't possible with the new "ribbon interface" to also have floating toolbars. I pointed out that they engineered it on the Mac versions. They then told me that "Corporation's don't like to see a cluttered screen with lots of floating toolbars." My protestations fell on deaf ears.

You might try the ergonomic angle if you have a contact inside Microsoft.

I really hope you succeed! Good Luck.

Answer 2

Dear Shane,

Really appreciate you answering me. I am a graphic designer and university lecturer and this floating menu was a godsend for fast workflow. We use it always in our design software it makes for being very fast. I guess I will keep my 2008 version running - sadly I cant upgrade my operating system now as the 2008 version wont run. Luckily I have just bought a new mac and will keep this one on the old system and do all my excel work on it :)

Sadly I do not have contacts at Microsoft and like you I'm sure it will fall on deaf ears anyway.

You have saved me many more hours of research this I am very grateful for.

Have a great afternoon Shane :)

Shame on you Microsoft for making such a great program into a amateur version on an upgrade :(

Answer 3

It's true that floating Custom Toolbars are a thing of the past but you still can speed up formatting by using either of 2 shortcuts to prevent having to use the Ribbon:

• Right-click the cell or selected range & select the Format Cells command, or
• Use the ⌘+1 keyboard shortcut to summon that same dialog window

The Format Cells dialog is modal, though, so it does have to be closed before interacting with the worksheet then reopened as needed.

Additionally, many formatting attributes can have custom keyboard shortcuts assigned to them & if you use the same combinations of attributes routinely you may want to investigate the use of Cell Styles.

Another useful method of copying the formatting of one cell to others is the Format Painter **** which can have a keyboard shortcut assigned to it as well.

Answer 4

Hi

You can drag ALL of the right-hand panels to the left and they will float!

Drag them to the right to re-dock them.

Answer 5

The question is can the color pallet be dragged away from the Format Shapes group? I don't have a live Mac so I can't test. The OP wants the color pallet to stay open but on the PC version it closes every time you pick a color.