Customizing a Toolbar

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 6, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Word allows you quite a bit of latitude in how you can customize the program to reflect how you want to do your work. One of the elements of the program you can change is the toolbars. You can add, remove, or edit buttons that appear on any toolbar.

To customize a toolbar, follow these steps:

Choose Customize from the Tools menu. Word displays the Customize dialog box.
Make sure the Toolbars tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Toolbars tab of the Customize dialog box.

In the list of toolbars, make sure the toolbars you want to edit are selected.
Click on the Commands tab. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. The Commands tab of the Customize dialog box.

In the list of Categories, select the major category that contains the command you want to add to the toolbar. For instance, if you want to add one of your macros to the toolbar, you would choose Macros in the list of Categories.
In the list of Commands, select the command you want to add to the toolbar.
Use the mouse to drag the command from the Commands list to its new location on the toolbar. When you release the mouse button, the icon or wording for the command appears.
Repeat steps 5 through 7 to add new toolbar commands.
Click on Close to dismiss the Customize 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 (1675) 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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Setting Spell-Checking Options

The spell checker can come in handy when entering data in a worksheet. Because the type of data you enter can vary so ...

Discover More

Graphics and Line Height

If the in-line graphics in your document appear "chopped off," it could be directly related to the formatting within the ...

Discover More

Filtering Based on Comparing Two Cells

Filtering can be very helpful in allowing you to see only those data records that meet certain criteria. In this tip you ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (menu)

Changes to Toolbars aren't Persistent

If you make changes to a toolbar in Word, you expect those changes to be available the next time you start the program. ...

Discover More

Using Large Toolbar Buttons

Having trouble seeing the icons used on the various Word toolbars? You can make the tools larger (and easier to see) by ...

Discover More

Hiding the Reviewing Toolbar

Does the Reviewing toolbar keep popping up whenever you create a document? Here's a possible reason, along with what you ...

Discover More

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 8 - 4?

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.