Resetting Ribbons

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 12, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

Word 2010 and later versions allow you to customize the appearance of the ribbons that appear at the top of the program window. If you run across a system in which the ribbons have been modified, you can change them back easily by following these steps:

Right-click the mouse anywhere on the ribbon. Word displays a Context menu.
From the Context menu choose Customize the Ribbon. Word displays the Word Options dialog box with the Customize Ribbon option selected at the left. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Customize Ribbon options of the Word Options dialog box.

If you want to reset a single ribbon tab, use the controls at the right side of the dialog box to select the tab.
Click the Reset drop-down list. Word presents you with two options: Reset Only Selected Ribbon Tab is used to reset whatever tab you selected in step 3 and Reset All Customizations is used to set everything back to its default.
Select the option that represents what you want to reset.
Click OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10391) applies to Microsoft Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

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

Inserting Text with a Shortcut Key

The AutoText capabilities of Word are quite powerful, allowing you to insert all sorts of "boilerplate" information in ...

Discover More

Two Types of Page Numbers in a TOC

Word, when creating a table of contents, should automatically make sure that the page numbers it shows correspond to the ...

Discover More

Adding Serial Commas in a Sentence

Part of the job of an editor is to apply standards of grammar to text written by someone else. One standard that may need ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Word's Native Measurement Unit

Word allows you to specify distances using a number of different measurement units. Figuring out how those measurement ...

Discover More

Printing a Screen without the Print Screen Key

The Print Screen key is a handy way to grab a screen shot. What if your keyboard doesn't physically have such a key, ...

Discover More

Displaying the Full Ribbon

The ribbon, displayed at the top of the Word window, is very handy with all the tools it allows you to access, but it can ...

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 two more than 3?

2021-08-16 11:08:56

Cynthia Heimann

i have a situation I'd like to resolve that I do not know how to describe, but here's a try. The ruler at the top of a document does not show the 'top half' of the ruler with the arrow one would use, with the lower arrow, to set a hanging indent. See attached (see Figure 1 below) - how can this be fixed?
Thanks!

Figure 1.

2021-08-16 09:54:01

Cynthia Heimann

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.