How do I get rid of ribbons and go back to old office menus?

Anonymous
2011-06-02T20:48:28+00:00

I have just purchased Office 2010. Sorry Microsoft but I hate it. Worst update of a familiar software product I have seen for a long time (and have worked in IT industry for 25 years) Why? Its the changes that have been made to the menus and the introduction of those dreadful ribbons. I can't find anything and waste ages looking for what should be the most obvious functions. Am seriously considering un-installing 2010 and going back to use older version.

Before I do that thought might ask if there was way of making 2010 suite look and feel like older versions without just binning it and starting again.

Many thanks

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2011-06-04T08:36:45+00:00

The contributors to this forum are not Microsoft employees, do not speak for Microsoft and have little to no influence over Microsoft's design process. The reasons for the change to the ribbon have been well documented since its introduction, with the pre-release versions of Word 2007, at least 5 years ago and the arguments for and against have been waged ad nauseam in this and other forums and are resurrected time and again by late adopters - which is why, reasonable or not, Hans can say for certain that there will be no return to the menu driven structure of earlier versions. First and foremost this was a business decision to stimulate sales.

Microsoft's response to the demand for more hands-on user configuration has been to add a ribbon editor to Office 2010. There will be no patch to make Word 2010 use the interface of Word 2003.

The idea of a third party add-in, which attempts, but ultimately fails, to recreate the menu structure of Word 2003 is a cul-de-sac that ultimately will inhibit your ability to adapt to the new menu ribbon driven system. Better to fine tune the ribbon to your own requirements.

When I was first exposed to the ribbon - in Word 2007 - I can confirm that I too was annoyed at the change, and I did not like the change from 2007 to 2010 either, but now I use the latter all the time and only ever refer to the others for reference in connection with user support.

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HansV 462.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2011-06-02T21:20:14+00:00

It is possible to return to the old interface, but I seriously recommend taking a bit of time to get used to the ribbon, for the following reasons:

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  1. Charles Kenyon 170.9K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-10-28T11:56:02+00:00

    "It is possible to return to the old interface"

    I understand that there is some standard way on original Office already.

    So, please, tell us how to do it!

    The ribbon is wonderful, ok, agree, nice...

    ...but menus/toolbars are better.

    Search the page that Stefan provided for "Classic UI" to download the Add-In.

    It will give you the following Ribbon tab which mimics the Menus of Word 2003 plus the classic Standard and Formatting toolbars.

    ![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/4318e731-46b7-44d0-b5cc-42abd79d0933?platform=QnA)

    You use the download by saving it in your Word Startup Folder. That way, this Ribbon tab will be available in any document you open in Word.

    If you use it, you might want to send a contribution, or at least a "Thank you" to Greg Maxey who wrote it and posted it for free distribution.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-07-11T23:59:24+00:00

    I  have been confused and intimidated for 6 years now.  When you create a document, Excel file or Power Point you should not have to spend more time trying to figure out where the commands have been hidden than you do in actually completing what you are working on.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-09-01T09:11:57+00:00

    The ribbon is just one of the "culture of mediocrity" functions that have crept in since 2005 or so. The median quality of the software has decreased since; it's usability is appalling. I personally don't feel obligated to state my experience in "IT" at all; I might have been doing it for 18 months rather than the 35 years that I've actually been involved, but I can spot a turkey when I see it.

    I will be quite open about this; we are designing software whose major selling points are

    1. We will never, ever have ribbon menus;
    2. We will never refer the user to on line resources by default for help files;
    3. We will not support windows 10 styles or anything beyond 7 and state, quite clearly that this is for the customer's benefit.

    I have not yet been in a place of work where Windows 10, it's gross inefficiencies, childish design paradigms, and general ineptitude, have no been roundly cursed and derided.

    At the moment, I am in the aerospace sector, and I fear the day that Windows 10 will make an appearance. It'll cause catastrophe.

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