Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 10, 2026)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
A toolbar is nothing but a collection of buttons or icons that are used to perform some common task in Word. Normally, toolbars appear just below the menu and just above the ruler. They can, however, appear almost anywhere on your screen, depending on the toolbar and how your Word screen has been configured.
The beauty of toolbars, besides increasing productivity, is that they are completely customizable. You can change tools and toolbars to suit your needs. You can even develop different toolbars for different document templates. Information on how to customize toolbars has been covered in other issues of WordTips.
Word allows you to control which toolbars are displayed at any given time. To turn a toolbar on or off, simply select the Toolbars option from the View menu. You see a submenu that lists many of the toolbars available.
All you need to do is select one of the toolbars available. When you select one of the toolbar names, Word displays that toolbar. When you select it again, Word removes the toolbar from your screen. If a check mark appears to the left of one of the toolbar names, the toolbar is visible.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1748) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
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