A software program’s user interface consists of all the ways that the user interacts with the
software. In Excel, the user interface consists of
• The Ribbon
• The Quick Access toolbar
• Right-click shortcut menus
• Dialog boxes
• Task panes
• Keyboard shortcuts
This chapter describes how to make changes to two Excel user interface components: the Quick
Access toolbar and the Ribbon. You might want to customize these elements to make Excel more
suited to the way you use it.
Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access toolbar is always visible, regardless of which Ribbon tab is selected. After you
customize the Quick Access toolbar, your frequently used commands will always be one click
away.
About the Quick Access toolbar
By default, the Quick Access toolbar is located on the left side of Excel title bar, above the
Ribbon (see Figure 24.1). Unless you customize it, this toolbar includes three tools:
• Save: Saves the active workbook
• Undo: Reverses the effect of the last action
• Redo: Reverses the effect of the last undo
If you prefer, you can move the Quick Access toolbar below the Ribbon. To do so, rightclick
the Quick Access toolbar and choose Show Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon.
Moving the Quick Access toolbar below the Ribbon uses additional vertical space on your
screen. In other words, you’ll be able to see one less row of your worksheet if you move
the Quick Access toolbar from its default location. Unlike traditional toolbars, the Quick
Access toolbar cannot be made free-floating, so you can’t move it to a convenient location.
It always appears either above or below the Ribbon.
FIGURE 24.1
The default location for the Quick Access toolbar is on the left side of the Excel title bar.
Commands on the Quick Access toolbar always appear as small icons, with no text. An
exception to this rule is drop-down controls that display text. For example, if you add the
Font control from the Home ➪ Font group, it appears as a drop-down control in the Quick
Access toolbar. When you hover your mouse pointer over an icon, you see the name of
the command and a brief description.
you use some Excel commands frequently, you can make these commands easily
accessible by adding them to your Quick Access toolbar. You can also rearrange the order
of the icons.
As far as I can tell, there is no limit to the number of commands that you can add. The
Quick Access toolbar always displays only a single line of icons. If the number of icons
exceeds the Excel window width, it displays an additional icon at the end: More Controls.
Click the More Controls icon, and the hidden Quick Access toolbar icons appear in a popup
window.
Adding new commands to the Quick Access toolbar
You can add a new command to the Quick Access toolbar in three ways:
• Click the Quick Access toolbar drop-down control, which is located on the right
side of the Quick Access toolbar (see Figure 24.2). The list contains a few commonly
used commands. Select a command from the list, and Excel adds it to your
Quick Access toolbar.
• Right-click any control on the Ribbon and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
The control is added to your Quick Access toolbar, positioned to the right of the
last control.
• Use the Quick Access Toolbar tab in the Excel Options dialog box. A quick way to
access this dialog box is to right-click any Ribbon control and choose Customize
Quick Access Toolbar.
FIGURE 24.2
This drop-down list is one way to add a new command to the Quick Access toolbar.
