Knowledge Base

WD2000: How to Customize and Share Toolbars

Article ID: 191265

Article Last Modified on 12/6/2000

APPLIES TO

This article was previously published under Q191265

SUMMARY

This article describes how to create a custom toolbar, how to distribute it to other users, and how to allow other users to share it over a network.

The built-in toolbars provided by Microsoft Word cannot be changed or replaced because they are stored as Microsoft Word program code. However, you can create custom toolbars, save them in templates, and then:

  • Send those templates to other people to use.
  • Copy the toolbars into the Normal template.
  • Place the templates in a folder so they can be shared globally and used automatically by Microsoft Word.
Custom toolbars are stored in templates and/or documents. You can use the Organizer to copy toolbars between templates and/or documents.

MORE INFORMATION

How to Create a Custom Toolbar in Normal.dot

To create custom toolbars for personal use only, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Toolbars tab.
  2. In the Customize dialog box, click New and type a toolbar name in the Toolbar Name box.
  3. In the Make toolbar available to box, select Normal.dot, and then click OK. Note that an empty floating toolbar appears.
  4. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.
  5. Drag the command or commands you want to the empty toolbar.
  6. Dock your toolbar by dragging it near the other toolbars.
  7. Click Close.

How to Create a Custom Toolbar in a New Template

To create a toolbar for use on multiple computers, follow these steps to create custom toolbars within a customized template:

  1. On the File menu, click New.
  2. Click the General tab and click Blank Document. Under Create New, click Template, and click OK.
  3. On the File menu, click Save As.
  4. In the Save As dialog box, enter a file name and click Save.
  5. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and click the Toolbar tab.
  6. Click New and type a toolbar name in the Toolbar Name box.
  7. In the Make toolbar available to box, type or select the name for your newly created template, and then click OK. Note that an empty floating toolbar appears.
  8. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.
  9. Drag the command or commands you want to the empty toolbar.
  10. Dock your toolbar by dragging it near the other toolbars.
  11. Click Close.
After you have created a template containing custom toolbars, use either of the following methods to share it.

Method 1: Copy the Toolbar from the Network Template to the Normal.dot File

  1. On the File menu, click Open.
  2. Locate the folder where the template is stored and open the template.
  3. On the Tools menu, click Templates And Add-ins.
  4. Click Organizer, and then click the Toolbars tab. The Organizer contains two windows. One side contains Normal.dot and the other contains the network template you opened in step 2.
  5. On the network template side, click to select the customized toolbar or toolbars you want available in Normal.dot, and then click the Copy button.
  6. Click Close.

Method 2: Loading the Network Template Globally

  1. Quit Microsoft Word.
  2. Using Windows Explorer, copy the network template to your startup folder for Microsoft Word. The default startup folder is Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Template.
When you start Word, the new toolbar or toolbars should be available.
For additional information about custom toolbars, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: DocID 44979
   TITLE     : WD20 How to Create Custom Toolbars and Toolbar Buttons

Keywords: kbhowto KB191265


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