A toolbar is a collection of buttons you can click to issue commands. Nearly all of these buttons are shortcuts to menu commands—alternatives to using the menu system.
Tip | When you open a menu, you'll see icons to the left of some of the menu commands. These icons correspond to the buttons on the toolbar that match those commands. |
By default, PowerPoint shows both the Standard and Formatting toolbars on the same row. This causes some buttons on each toolbar to be obscured. Most people prefer to display these toolbars on separate rows. (That's how they're shown in most of the figures in this book.)
Click on the down-pointing arrow at the end of the Standard or Formatting toolbar. A menu will appear.
Click on Show Buttons on Two Rows. The Formatting toolbar will move to a new row below the Standard toolbar.
You may find that the location of toolbars is inconvenient for the way you work. Toolbars can be moved to any location on the screen that's convenient for you. A toolbar may be docked (attached to other toolbars), or it may float all by itself.
Move the mouse pointer over the toolbar handle (the set of dots at its left edge). The mouse pointer will change to a four-pointed arrow.
Drag the toolbar handle to another location on the PowerPoint window. The toolbar will move with the mouse.
There are many toolbars available in PowerPoint. Some of them appear automatically when needed; others must be displayed manually.
Right-click on a toolbar. A shortcut menu appears.
Click on the name of the toolbar you want to display (if it's not already checked) or hide (if it's already checked).
Note | What if no toolbars are displayed? In that case, open the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click the name of the toolbar you want. |