Resetting Ribbons to Their Default

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated March 28, 2018)

2

Word is very flexible. You can customize your working environment in many different ways. One way you can make changes it to add or remove tools from the ribbons visible at the top of the screen. (You can do this in Word 2010 or Word 2013; you can't change ribbons in Word 2007.)

There may come a day when you want to reset the Word ribbons to their default condition. When you do this, all the ribbons and the order of tools on the ribbons will be set to the same condition they were when you first installed Word. If you want to reset a ribbon, follow these steps:

  1. Display the File tab of the ribbon.
  2. Click Options. Word displays the Word Options dialog box.
  3. At the left of the dialog box click Customize Ribbon. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Word Options dialog box.

  4. If you want to reset only a single ribbon tab, select that tab at the right side of the dialog box.
  5. Click the Reset button. Word presents you with two options.
  6. If you want to reset only a single ribbon tab (step 4), then choose Reset Only Selected Ribbon Tab. If you want to reset all the customizations you made to all ribbon tabs, then choose Reset All Customizations.
  7. Click OK to dismiss the Word Options 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 (9568) applies to Microsoft Word 2010 and 2013.

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

Specifying an Index Page-Range Separator

When generating an index, Word normally uses a dash to indicate page ranges. You can change the character used for these ...

Discover More

Changing Orientations within a Single Printout

Excel allows you to print out information in either portrait or landscape orientation, but what if you need both types of ...

Discover More

Scaling Graphics in a Macro

If you need to make sure that the graphics in a document are all scaled similarly, you'll love the macros presented in ...

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 (ribbon)

Turning Off Background Repagination

When you use Word, it normally performs several tasks in the background while you are typing. One of those tasks is to ...

Discover More

Changing the Insertion Point Cursor

Want to change the characteristics of the insertion point used by Word? You may be out of luck, unless you make some ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Blue Squiggly Underlines

In an effort to make your writing better, Word uses "squiggly" underlines to mark things it thinks you may need to ...

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.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

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}] 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 eight more than 8?

2016-04-29 18:57:34

angela

THANK YOU! This was VERY helpful!

2015-09-24 11:40:16

sharon lewis

Thank you, but the instructions are not working. Something is amiss. For one, after I click "reset," I receive only one option, not the two that are listed, one is visible but not highlighted. When I select the one option, I still do not have my preferred "home" option. Looking forward to your help.

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.