Microsoft Office 2007 Tips and Resources

Tip 1: Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)

Learn more about the Quick Access Toolbar (the small toolbar next to the Microsoft Office Button that has Save and Undo on it by default). It's easy to customize and add commands you frequently use.

• To add a command, right-click the button, either on the Ribbon or those found under the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
• To add an entire group, such as the Font group on the Home tab, right-click the group name instead of a command in the group.
• To remove a command, right-click it and then click Remove From Quick Access Toolbar.
• To reorganize commands, right-click the Quick Access Toolbar and then click Customize the Quick Access Toolbar.
• Give the QAT a toolbar 'feel' and move it below the Ribbon. Click the arrow at the end (More button) and then click Show Below the Ribbon

Tip 2: Free up screen real-estate and hide the Ribbon

Double-click any Ribbon tab to hide/unhide it. To use a command when the Ribbon is minimized, click the tab, click the command and the Ribbon will return to its minimized state.

I set my Quick Access Toolbar up in the beginning so it looked exactly like the first part of the old Standard toolbar and the first part of the Formatting toolbar and minimized the Ribbon. What a difference that made!

Tip 3: Scroll through the Ribbon tabs

Instead of using the mouse to 'reach' for a tab, place your mouse on the Ribbon and use the scroll wheel to scroll between the various tabs.

Tip 4: When in doubt, right-click!

Right-click everything. Unlike previous versions, some commands can only be found by right-clicking a command. This includes the Galleries as well.

Tip 5: Interactive Guides

Use Interactive Guides to help you find commands you're unable to locate. They can be found in Help or by using these links:

Excel Interactive Guide

PowerPoint Interactive Guide

Word Interactive Guide

Tip 6: Add the Get Started Tab to access online resources in the applications

Click the link below to download the Get Started Tab for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint:

Get Started Tab add-in for Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Tip 7: Quickly find the command you need using Search Commands!

Search Commands is an add-in that enables you to quickly find and filter commands in the application by typing the name of the command in your own words:

http://www.officelabs.com/projects/searchcommands/Pages/default.aspx

Tip 8: Still can't find the command? Use the Ribbon mapping workbooks to find it!

Click the link below to download the Ribbon Mapping workbooks:

Ribbon mapping workbooks for Access, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint 

Miscellaneous notes

How to stop the Windows Installer when running side-by-side Word installations (instructions should also work for Excel with minor adapatation)

http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/20/110

Download for the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack:

Office 2000 - Office 2003

How to turn on Compatibility Mode for Word by default:

http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com

Location for customized Quick Access Toolbar for backup or sharing:

Customized Quick Access Toolbars ares stored in *.qat files in the following location:

%AppData%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office

How to share Building Blocks

If you have corporate building blocks you want to place in a single location and share with multiple users you can create the following Registry value (String Value) to identify the shared location for Word:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\General\ SharedDocumentParts