How to Turn Add-in Toolbar off by Default

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 14, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


There are numerous programs that can be added to Word, as add-ins, that enhance the way you can use Word. Many of these add-ins add their own toolbars to the Word interface. Normally, the toolbars are visible by default, although you can turn them off by using View | Toolbars. For some add-ins, you may want the toolbar off by default, choosing to use View | Toolbars to turn the toolbar on when you need it.

To change the default behavior of add-in toolbars, you really only have three choices. The first choice, and most obvious, is to change the coding in the add-in so that the toolbar doesn't show every time you start Word. Unless you have access to the source code for the add-in, this choice--while obvious--is not really practical.

The second choice, if you really want the template all of the time but just don't want to see the toolbar, is to record a macro named AutoExec that turns off the toolbar. Any macro named Autoexec (stored in your Normal.dot template) will execute every time you start Word.

The third choice is to change how the template is loaded by Word. (This choice assumes that the add-in is installed through a template, and not some other method.) Outside of Word, take a look at the Startup folders used by the program. (The Startup folder is found in Tools | Options | File Locations.) If you see, in the folder, the template that is used by the add-in, simply move the template to a different folder. A good place to move it is to the User Templates folder (also in Tools | Options | File Locations). Once moved, the add-in won't load when starting Word, but the add-in will be available as a Global Template and Add-In when choosing Tools | Templates and Add-Ins. (See Figure 1.) A simple checkbox change activates the add-in, and another checkbox change turns it off.

Figure 1. The Templates and Add-ins dialog box.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (283) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Colorizing Charts

Need to change the color of different parts of your chart? It's easy to do when you apply the technique described in this ...

Discover More

Setting Up Custom AutoFiltering

The filtering capabilities of Excel are very helpful when you are working with large sets of data. You can create a ...

Discover More

End-of-Month Calculations

Don't want to use the EOMONTH function to figure out the end of a given month? Here are some other ideas for discovering ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Folder Locations for Add-Ins

Add-ins can be stored in a number of different places on a computer system. This tip explains the many different places ...

Discover More

Editing a Toolbar Button Image

You already know that Word allows you to customize the tools on your toolbars. You may not have known that it also allows ...

Discover More

Increasing the Size of the Draft Font

When looking at your document in Draft view, you may want Word to use a larger font than what it normally does. Here's ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 + 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.