Tips to Help Word Work for You

Note: This is the first lesson in a planned, ongoing series of posts based on expressed interest and requests from this post. In future posts in this series, previous lessons will be linked at the bottom for easy reference.

To say that Word is highly customizable is a gross understatement. You can, if desired, change every menu, toolbar, and command used by Word. You can change the way its interface looks, the way the program itself operates, how it reacts to every keystroke, and so much more. Customizing Word according to how you utilize it can save countless hours and increase both in-house and external user experience.

However, because it would be impossible to cover all the ways in which Word can be customized in a single post, this and each subsequent lesson will focus on one or two simple techniques you can implement to get the most bang for your buck in terms of usage and productivity. As always, leave a comment below with questions or suggestions for future topics.

Tip 1: Creating Custom Tabs and Buttons

When you first install Word, it comes pre-programmed with a few interface tabs. These tabs are located on the top bar of the screen—the ribbon—and include buttons pre-selected and organized by Microsoft according to the most common, basic usage of their program. If all you use Word for is creating simple, single-use documents, this basic ribbon likely meets your needs without sacrificing extra time fiddling with settings and menus. However, if you find yourself creating and recreating similar documents, repeating the same series of button strokes and actions, searching through menus or toolbars to alter settings or styles, or regularly completing other repetitive, time-consuming tasks, you may benefit from customizing your ribbon to better work for you.

Creating custom tabs allows you to organize the tools you need and use most often. (Later in this series, I will discuss how to program your own custom tools to complete simple, multi-step tasks with just the push of a button, but for now, I’ll stick to the basics). While customizing your ribbon, you are likely to discover and unlock some of the hidden features already programmed into Word. Along with buttons for highly specialized-use features are basic buttons that simply reduce the amount of clicks it takes you to get to a desired style or setting. For example, my office uses some of the advanced review features already programmed into Word but nested in a series of buttons and menus in the default ribbon. By including these commands as a button in a custom tab created for editorial review, we can skip the menu hopping and tell Word what to do with one click instead.

How to Customize the Ribbon in Microsoft Word

This feature works the same in all modern versions of Microsoft Word: 2010, 2013, and 2016, as well as in other Office applications, such as Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, etc.

1. From the File menu, select Options. Then select Customize Ribbon. The list on the left will display all the buttons (or commands) already programmed into Word. The dropdown menu allows you to view commands based on their existing placement under a tab in the ribbon or their exclusion from the current ribbon. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with some of the commands available and figure out which ones will work the best for your needs. The list on the left displays the current tabs on the ribbon and allows you to create your own. Think of the tabs as a folder, commands as pages, and groups as dividers. Each page (command) you want to use needs to be placed in a new or existing folder (tab). These pages can then be subsequently linked together by subject and applicability by dividers (groups).
2. Create a custom tab by selecting New Tab. Custom groups can be added to new or existing tabs by selecting the tab you want to place in the group and then clicking New Group. Groups must be placed under a new or existing tab. Select the newly created tab or group from the list and select Rename to give it a new name.
   
3. To add a command to the new group, select the new group on the right, select a command on the left, and click Add. Commands must be placed in new or existing groups. From here, you can organize commands and groups under a tab by dragging them around the list. Once finished, select OK to save your custom tabs and exit the menu. Return to the document view screen to reveal your custom ribbon.
   

Your ribbon can be customized in a variety of ways with commands and macros that eliminate extra clicks and steps for simple, repetitive tasks, saving you time and headaches in the process. The screenshot below is a mapping of one of my custom tabs to give you a better idea how this feature can be implemented for your own use:

Hopefully, you found this helpful and can implement some of these tricks in your own office. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions, requests for topics, or can share some tricks and tips of your own.