Customising the Ribbon in Excel: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Customising the Ribbon in Excel allows you to tailor the interface to better suit your workflow. This guide will walk you through the process of hiding, showing, and customising the Ribbon, as well as creating your own tabs and groups.

Hiding and Showing the Ribbon

• Hide the Ribbon:
  • Double-click on any tab to hide the Ribbon, giving you more space for your worksheet.
  • To temporarily show the Ribbon, click on any tab; it will expand to show the options.
• Show the Ribbon Permanently:
  • Right-click on any tab name and select “Collapse the Ribbon” to toggle it off, keeping the Ribbon visible at all times.

Customising the Ribbon

• Access Customisation Options:
  • Right-click on the Ribbon area and select “Customise the Ribbon” to open the Excel Options dialog box.
• Turn Tabs On or Off:
  • In the Excel Options dialog, you can uncheck boxes next to tab names to hide them (e.g., uncheck “Insert” to hide the Insert tab).

Creating a Custom Tab

• Add a New Tab:
  • In the Customise Ribbon section, click on “New Tab” to create a custom tab.
  • The new tab will automatically include a “New Group (Custom)” which you can rename.
• Rename Tabs and Groups:
  • Right-click on the new tab or group and select “Rename” to give it a meaningful name (e.g., “My Custom Tab”).

Adding Functions to Groups

• Add Functions:
  • Select a function from the list on the left and click “Add” to include it in your custom group.
  • You can also drag and drop functions into groups.
• Remove Functions:
  • Select a function within a group and click “Remove” to take it out.

Exporting and Importing Customisations

• Export Customisations:
  • Use the “Import/Export” option in the Customise Ribbon dialog to export your settings for use on another computer.
• Import Customisations:
  • Similarly, you can import settings to apply your custom Ribbon setup on a different machine.

Resetting Ribbon Customisations

• Reset Specific Tabs:
  • In the Customise Ribbon dialog, select a tab and click “Reset” to restore it to default settings.
• Reset All Customisations:
  • Choose “Reset all customisations” to return all Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar settings to their defaults.

This guide provides the fundamental steps to customise the Ribbon in Excel, enhancing your productivity by tailoring the interface to your needs.