Keeping Full Menus Displayed

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 19, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Robin is working with Word 2003 in a networked environment, and she can't get her menus to stay in full, non-dynamic mode. She displays Tools | Customize | Options tab and then clicks the Always Show Full Menus option, and things are fine. But the next time she starts Word, the check box is no longer selected and she is again faced with unwanted dynamic menus.

The inability to save this particular setting could be due to any number of reasons. It is possible, for instance, that an add-in you've installed in Word could be resetting the setting every time you restart the program. If you suspect this is the cause, you should disable or remove the add-in to see if the problem goes away.

A more likely scenario is related to running Word over the network. If your configuration files (such as Normal.dot, word.pip, or other similar files) are being stored on a network drive, it is very possible that they are being stored in such a way that you cannot save your changes or the files are being overwritten by other users. If this is the case, the only solution is to talk through the problem with your network administrator and figure out where the configuration files are stored and what permissions you have to those files and the folder in which they are stored.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (329) 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

Overlining Characters

Want to add an overline above a character or two in your document? There are several ways you can try, as described in ...

Discover More

Picking a Starting Label

If you use the Labels feature in Word, you may want to specify which label to use as the starting point when printing. ...

Discover More

Selecting a Graphic Behind a Text Box

How to select a graphic that is obscured by a text box can be perplexing. Here's an overview of the different ways you ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Resetting Word Menus

Word allows you to customize the program's menus as much as you want. At some point, however, you may want the menus to ...

Discover More

Custom Menu Stays, but Options Disappear

It can be disconcerting when a custom menu you've used for years suddenly loses all the options it previously contained. ...

Discover More

The Case of the Vanished Menu Bar

Can't find your menu bar any more? Here are some things you can try to get that important feature back on your screen ...

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 four minus 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.