How to reduce spacing between icons on quick access toolbar?

Anonymous
2013-03-13T22:55:12+00:00

Office 365 seems ok, though can't yet identify any improvements over 2010. However a HUGE negative is the increased spacing between icons on the QAT, which means that about 14 fewer icons fit across the screen. I appreciate that MS did this to allow easier access to the macros through touch, but I don't need this (even though I have a touch computer). I want my old icon spacing back. If anyone knows how to do this I will buy them a (metaphorical) beer. Otherwise, it is probably back to 2010 for me, unless I can find any ways in which 365 is better.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Jay Freedman 208.3K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2013-03-14T01:07:15+00:00

Edit: The answer below was correct for the Office Technical Preview at the time it was written. In a later update of the Preview, the ability to reduce the spacing of the Quick Access Toolbar was removed, and it is still absent in the released version as of September 2015. Please visit http://office.uservoice.com/forums/285186-general/suggestions/9906966-office-2016-quick-access-toolbar-too-wide and vote to have the Mouse Mode spacing of the Quick Access Toolbar restored.

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The Office 2013 / Office 365 programs have a touch mode with wider spacing, and a mouse mode with the same spacing as previous versions. (This affects both the Quick Access Toolbar and the ribbon.)

Click the down-arrow at the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar and click the item "Touch/Mouse Mode". The button that appears shows a hand with the index finger extended and touching a blue spot. Click that button and choose the mouse mode.

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  1. John Korchok 236.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-09-23T22:37:06+00:00

    This thread was already about Office 2013.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-09-23T23:57:04+00:00

    The QAT behavior with wide spacing I'm seeing is in 2016

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  3. Jay Freedman 208.3K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-09-24T00:04:24+00:00

    John, the difference is that the Mouse/Touch button in Office 2013, when set to Mouse mode, does reduce the spacing of the buttons on the Quick Access Toolbar. In Office 2016, though, the Quick Access Toolbar keeps the Touch spacing even in Mouse mode. There were complaints about this when it appeared in the 2016 Tech Preview, but it's still there.

    Peter, I don't think there's any way to return to Office 2013 if you have an Office 365 subscription. If you have or can buy a retail copy of Office 2013 without Office 365, I think that will be permanent -- but expensive. It may be best to post your complaint at http://office.uservoice.com and get people to vote for it, to try to get Microsoft to fix Mouse mode.

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  4. John Korchok 236.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-09-24T00:46:29+00:00

    Over on the Office for Mac forums, I've been hearing that Office 365 users can downgrade from 2016 for Mac to 2011 if they phone Microsoft customer service for their country as ask for a 2011 download. Perhaps the same will hold true for 2016 to 2013, it's worth a phone call: Global Customer Support Phone Numbers

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