WD98: How to Customize Toolbars

ID: q179020

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SUMMARY

This article includes detailed instructions about how to create a new toolbar, how to add or remove items from that toolbar, and how to change the position of the toolbar.

Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition includes functionality that allows you to modify existing toolbars and to create or delete custom toolbars.

TIP: The standard toolbars in Word contain the majority of the functions performed by users. Rather than modify these toolbars, you should supplement them with additional, custom toolbars that suit your particular work style. Note that you can create templates to hide the original toolbars and display custom toolbars. For more information about templates, see the "References" section of this article.


MORE INFORMATION

Creating a Toolbar

To create a toolbar, follow these steps:

  1. Start Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition by double-clicking the Microsoft Word icon in the Microsoft Office 98 folder.


  2. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and click Customize.


  3. Click the Toolbars tab.


  4. Click New, and type a name for the new toolbar.

    TIP: Use a name that will indicate the primary function of the toolbar or the user creating it.


  5. From the Make Toolbar Available To list, select Normal, and click OK.

    NOTE: If the toolbar is only to be available when a particular template or document is open, the document or template must be open when the toolbar is created and it should be selected in this dialog box.

    The Customize dialog box and the new toolbar should both be visible. You may need to move the Customize dialog box if it is covering the new toolbar. The new toolbar will be a small, square, "floating" toolbar somewhere in the document area of Word. The toolbar is too small to display its name at this time. As you add items, the name will be displayed in the title bar of the toolbar. Drag the new toolbar and the Customize dialog box so you can see both at the same time.


Adding Commands to the Toolbar

To add commands to the toolbar, follow these steps:

  1. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and click Customize.


  2. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.


  3. Under Categories, click File. Then, under Commands, drag New to the new toolbar.

    Repeat this process to drag several commands from various categories to the new toolbar.


Removing an Item from the Toolbar

To remove an item from the toolbar, follow these steps:

  1. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and click Customize.


  2. Drag the item to be removed from the toolbar to the document area of Word.


  3. Close the Customize dialog box when you're finished removing items.

    NOTE: The Customize dialog box must be open to delete items from a toolbar.


Positioning or Docking a Toolbar

When the toolbar is floating, drag the title bar to move it. To size a floating toolbar, drag its lower-right corner. A toolbar cannot be sized such that some of the items on it are hidden. However it can be positioned close to the edge of the screen so that some of the items cannot be seen.

To dock a toolbar, drag it to the top, side, or bottom if the document window so that it looks like about half the toolbar has disappeared and the length of the toolbar is oriented with the edge where it is to be docked.

NOTE: If you drag the toolbar to the very bottom of the screen (completely behind items at the bottom) while the Status bar and the Drawing toolbar are visible there, the toolbar may seem to disappear. If this occurs, hide both the Drawing toolbar (on the View menu, click Toolbars, and click to clear the Drawing check box) and the Status bar (on the Tools menu, click Preferences, click the View tab, and click to clear the Status Bar check box). This will allow you to see enough of the title bar at the top of the toolbar to drag it back up.

When a toolbar is docked, there is a gray bar at the top or left of the toolbar (depending on where it is docked). Click the bar to drag it from its docked position. If two or more toolbars are docked in the same location, portions of each may be invisible. This can be adjusted by re-docking one or more of the bars using the gray bar.


REFERENCES

For information about how to do this in other versions of Word, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q141995 WD: How to Create Custom Toolbars and Toolbar Buttons

Q163547 WD97: How to Create Custom Toolbars and Toolbar Buttons
For more information about toolbars, click the Office Assistant, type "toolbars" in the query area of the Office Assistant and click Search.

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q179216 OFF98: How to Use the Microsoft Office Installer Program

Additional query words:

Keywords :
Version : MACINTOSH:98
Platform : MACINTOSH
Issue type : kbhowto kbinfo


Last Reviewed: December 8, 1999
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