The Excel ribbon: structure, tabs, hiding and customizing

The Excel ribbon is the strip of tabs and command buttons at the top of the Excel window. It holds almost every command you will use. You can collapse or restore it quickly with Ctrl+F1, and you can rearrange it in the Customize the Ribbon window.

What the Excel ribbon is

The ribbon is the row of tabs and icons above your worksheet. You use it to find and run commands for a given task: formatting cells, inserting charts, filtering data or protecting sheets. Vietnamese guides often simply call it the "toolbar".

According to the Ablebits blog, the ribbon first appeared in Excel 2007. It replaced the toolbars and drop-down menus of earlier versions. Excel 2010 added the ability to personalize it. As a result, the Excel versions most businesses use today all have a ribbon, though the layout differs slightly between versions.

The ribbon does not always show every button. GoSkills notes that the buttons you see depend on your screen size and the width of the Excel window. The narrower the window, the fewer buttons appear. If a colleague points to a button you cannot see, try maximizing the Excel window first.

The four parts of the ribbon

The ribbon can be broken into four parts, from largest to smallest:

• Tabs: the names along the top, such as Home, Insert and Data. Each tab collects commands for one area of work.
• Groups: inside each tab, related commands sit together in a group. For example, the Home tab has a Clipboard group with cut, copy and paste, and a Font group with font styles, colors and sizes.
• Dialog launchers: the small arrow in the lower-right corner of some groups. It opens more related commands that the ribbon has no room to show.
• Command buttons: the buttons you click to perform a specific action.

Once you know these four parts, instructions like "go to the Data tab, Sort & Filter group, click Filter" become easy to follow.

Ribbon tabs and what each one does

The table below summarizes the standard tabs from left to right, based on Ablebits and GoSkills. Tab names are given in English, since names in localized versions of Excel can vary.

Home is the tab selected when Excel opens.

Contextual tabs

Besides the fixed tabs above, the ribbon also has contextual tabs. These appear only when you select an object such as a table, chart, shape or picture. For example, when you select a chart, Excel shows extra Design and Format tabs under Chart Tools. If you cannot find chart formatting commands, click the chart first, then look at the tabs that appear.

Hiding, collapsing and showing the ribbon

When you work with long data tables, especially on a small laptop screen, collapsing the ribbon gives you room for more rows. Microsoft describes several ways that work in both directions:

1. Press Ctrl+F1. Press it again to switch back.
2. Or double-click any ribbon tab.
3. Or right-click a tab and select or clear Collapse the Ribbon.

When the ribbon is collapsed, only the tab names remain. Click a tab and its commands appear temporarily so you can use them.

The ribbon also has a Ribbon Display Options button with three common choices:

• Auto-hide Ribbon: hides both tabs and commands. Click the top of the window to show it temporarily.
• Show Tabs: shows the tab row only.
• Show Tabs and Commands: shows both tabs and commands. This is the default.

Where this button sits depends on the version. Microsoft's support page places it at the lower right of the ribbon, while some guides for older versions describe a button near the top of the Excel window.

When the ribbon disappears completely

Two situations are common:

1. Only tab names are left, no commands: the ribbon is collapsed. Press Ctrl+F1 or double-click a tab.
2. Even the tabs are gone: according to Microsoft, Excel may be in full-screen or auto-hide mode. Select the button at the top right of the screen to show the ribbon temporarily. Then open Ribbon Display Options and choose the mode that shows both tabs and commands. If you only show it temporarily, the ribbon hides again when you return to the sheet.

A post on the Gitiho blog says that in Excel 2016, Ctrl+Shift+F1 hides both the ribbon and the status bar, and the same keys show them again. If both the ribbon and the bottom bar are missing, try this shortcut.

On a Mac, a Q&A article on Thegioididong.com says you can click the Home tab to hide the ribbon and click it again to show it.

Customizing the ribbon for the way you work

If you use a handful of commands every day that are spread across several tabs, you can gather them in one place. Microsoft lets you reorder tabs, rename them, hide tabs you rarely use, create your own tabs and groups, and export or import your customizations.

Opening the Customize the Ribbon window

1. Open Excel.
2. Right-click an empty spot on the ribbon.
3. Choose Customize the Ribbon.

This window is part of Excel Options. On the left is the command list (Choose commands from). On the right is the list of tabs and groups currently on the ribbon.

Turning on the Developer tab

You need the Developer tab to record and run macros, insert form controls such as check boxes, or work with XML. It is hidden by default. To turn it on:

1. Right-click the ribbon and choose Customize the Ribbon.
2. In the list on the right, select Main Tabs.
3. Tick the Developer box.
4. Click OK. The Developer tab appears on the ribbon next to the View tab.

The same method turns on other built-in tabs that are hidden, such as Draw.

Creating your own tab and group

Microsoft only allows commands to be added to custom groups, not to built-in ones. The steps:

1. In the Customize the Ribbon window, choose New Tab. Excel creates a custom tab with a custom group.
2. Select the new tab, click Rename and type a clear name, for example "Accounting".
3. Right-click the new group, choose Rename to name it. You can also pick an icon to represent the group.
4. In Choose commands from, pick a source, for example Popular Commands or All Commands.
5. Select the command you need and click Add.
6. Use the Move Up or Move Down arrows to reorder tabs, groups or commands.
7. Click OK to save.

A few rules to remember, from Microsoft's support page:

• Custom tabs and groups show "(Custom)" after their name in the list, but that word does not appear on the ribbon.
• You can hide both built-in and custom tabs by clearing their check box, but you can only remove custom tabs.
• The File tab cannot be moved or hidden.
• Built-in commands appear in gray text. You cannot rename them, change their icons or change their order.
• To trim the commands in a built-in group, create a custom group with only the commands you want, then remove the built-in group.

Resetting the ribbon to default

If you have changed a lot and want to start over, GoSkills describes this: in Excel Options, open the ribbon customization section, choose Reset All Customizations under Customizations, click Yes, then click OK.

What you cannot customize

According to Microsoft:

• You cannot reduce the size of the ribbon, its text or its icons. The only way is to change your screen resolution, which changes the size of everything.
• You cannot change the color of the ribbon or its icons. You can only change the overall Office theme.
• Customizations apply only to the app you are using. Changing the ribbon in Excel does not change it in Word or PowerPoint.

How the Quick Access Toolbar differs from the ribbon

The Quick Access Toolbar is a separate small bar holding a few frequently used commands. Ablebits notes it can be placed above or below the ribbon. According to Gitiho, by default it contains AutoSave, Save, Undo and Redo.

To add a command that is already on the ribbon:

1. Open the tab containing the command.
2. Right-click the command and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
3. To remove a command from the bar, right-click it there and choose Remove from Quick Access Toolbar.

For commands not on the ribbon, click the drop-down arrow at the end of the Quick Access Toolbar and choose More Commands. Under Choose commands from, select Commands Not in the Ribbon, pick the command, click Add, then OK.

One way to divide the work: use the Quick Access Toolbar for the few commands you use every hour, and a custom ribbon tab for a set of commands for one area of work.

Tips for small businesses

• Standardize the layout for the accounting team: Microsoft lets you export ribbon customizations to share with others or use on other devices. The person handling IT can build one standard set and have each machine in the team import it.
• Do not over-customize: hiding built-in tabs can confuse people who share the computer or who follow online tutorials and cannot find a command. Adding your own tab is usually safer than hiding default ones.
• Write down how to restore the ribbon: "my toolbar is gone" is often just a collapsed ribbon. One line saying "Press Ctrl+F1" in your internal notes can save many calls to IT.

If your company is considering an Office plan with desktop Excel, you can review plan details on the Microsoft 365 Business page. Check the product page for pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the ribbon in Excel?

The ribbon is the strip of tabs and command buttons at the very top of the Excel window, just below the title bar. It includes tabs such as File, Home, Insert, Data and View, and each tab is split into groups of commands.

Why does the ribbon show only tab names and no commands?

The ribbon is collapsed. Press Ctrl+F1 or double-click any tab to expand it. If even the tabs are missing, open Ribbon Display Options and choose the mode that shows both tabs and commands.

Do ribbon customizations in Excel carry over to Word?

No. Microsoft says customizations apply only to the app you change them in. To get the same ribbon in Word, you have to customize Word separately. You can export your customizations to reuse them on another device.

Can I make the ribbon smaller or change its color?

You cannot reduce the size of the ribbon, its text or icons, except by changing your screen resolution. You cannot change the ribbon's color either, only the overall Office theme.

How do I return the ribbon to its original state?

In the ribbon customization section of Excel Options, choose Reset All Customizations under Customizations, confirm with Yes, then click OK. This removes the tabs and groups you created yourself.