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. Anonymous
    2013-03-08T19:37:58+00:00

    Dear Miss Chocolate:

    Don't mistake my disgust with "whining".  I was using Word while you were still in short pants and back in the day I didn't need a "template consultant" to build and manage my documents, or keep my employees productive.  The decline is astonishing, and the trend clear.

    So we canned Sharepoint, we fired the Microsoft Partners, we purchase only essential MS products and only at he lowest possible price point.  We buy no upgrades or add-ons that rely on Microsoft.  We purchase technology services only from people who share our values - customers first.  But I wish you luck on the leaky vessel Microsoft.

    Out,

    Joe

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-03-07T21:32:57+00:00

    Office software is a business tool.  With all due respect to Bruce Lee (who mercifully never had to suffer Microsoft software, or customer support), the operative quote here is:

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

    (Si ce n'est pas cassé, ne le répare pas.)

    We're running a business, against competition, with a requirement to be faster, better. leaner, smarter.  Deciphering the location of familiar tools, buried within a completely new user interface is not relevant to that mission requirement.  My only hope is that the competition is similarly hobbled by Microsoft's 'innovation'.  The ribbon is a monument to the conceit that consumes this company.  My job is to make sure they don't take us with them into irrelevance.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-02-20T20:35:55+00:00

    Fortunately for us all, those that came up with the "ribbon" concept at the expense of countless productivity hours for long-standing MS customers are not able to change basic rules of supply/demand.  If they are right, they will see their customer base grow ... if they are wrong, they will see their customer base shrink.

    For our part, having hit this stone-wall with MS inability to support a flexible product line any longer, we moved to the open source software equivalent.  Yep, we ended a VERY long, dedicated reliance on MS Office.

    You see, MS Office is an expensive product to begin with.  It can be because it is so hard to switch.  But the MS ribbon is/was by a forced switch for all of us.  Only those who like the ribbon should be users of MS Office by now.  The rest should have used, or now be using, this "opportunity" to save license $$.  It's absolutely silly to lose as much productivity and *still* pay the license fees. 

    IMO, Bill Gates was right about the impact of this thing.  And the market will prove us right/wrong.

    Oh, and migrating to open source was easier than migrating to ribbons ;-).

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