Customizing Menus for Added Functionality

---

In addition to all these toolbar changes, you can make modifications to the Word menus, as well. Not only can you change existing menus built into Word, you can add new menus to the Word menu bar and add submenus to menus already in use.

Creating Your Own Menu

Creating custom menus in Word is a fun feature you can use to create a list of the options you use most often, and then plug them into a menu you name and use yourself. To create a new menu for your Word menu bar, follow these steps:

1. Choose Tools, Customize. The Customize dialog box appears.

2. Click the Commands tab. In the Categories list, scroll down to New Menu, and then click it.

3. In the Commands list, click New Menu, and then drag it to the Word menu bar. The insertion point appears, showing you where the menu name will be placed. When the menu is situated where you want it, release the mouse button.

4. With New Menu selected on the menu bar, click Modify Selection in the Commands tab in the Customize dialog box. Choose Name from the menu that appears, and then type a name for the menu in the box.

5. Click Close to close the Customize dialog box. The new menu appears in the Word menu bar at the top of your screen.

   Tip 

   Remove a menu  If you want to remove a menu, press and hold Alt while dragging the menu name into the Word work area. The menu name is deleted from the menu bar.

Adding Menu Options to a New Menu

After you create a new menu, how do you add commands to it? The process is similar to adding a menu: you display the Commands tab in the Customize dialog box and drag the commands you want to the newly created menu. The insertion point shows you where the command will be added; release the mouse button when you've positioned the command where you want it.

Rearranging Menu Commands

You can easily rearrange the commands in a menu by simply dragging them to the positions you want. Here's how:

1. Choose Tools, Customize. The Customize dialog box appears.

2. On Word's menu bar, click the menu you wish to rearrange. The menu opens.

3. In the open menu, click the menu command you want to move and drag it to a new location.

4. Repeat as needed to move other commands in the menu.

5. Click Close to close the Customize dialog box and return to your document. The menu is updated so the new commands appear the next time you open the menu.

Removing Commands from Menus

If you want to remove a command from a menu, begin by displaying the Customize dialog box. On Word's menu bar, click the menu that contains the command. Drag the command off the menu and into the document window to remove it. Release the mouse button. The command is removed from the menu.

Tip 

Restore default menus  If you decide that you've changed too much on an existing menu, you can return the menu to the configuration it had before the last change you made. To restore a menu to its previous setting, display the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab, click the menu on the menu bar, click the Modify Selection button, and then click Reset to return the selected menu to its former setting.

---