We explain what are the options regarding the Word toolbar so that it appears again or hides automatically.
The toolbar in Word is the one that includes the vast majority of the commands. By default, it is displayed at the top of the window and allows you to access the most important functions of the program. Now, what can you do if it has disappeared? There are a few causes that cause the toolbar in Word not to appear.
In this guide we explain what are the most common reasons that cause the toolbar in Word not to show . Of course, we also show you what you have to do to restore it and regain access to all the application’s commands. During this review, we’ll walk you through the different modes of the ribbon in Office . With this information on the table, you will not only recover the essential Word buttons, but you will also know how to customize their appearance. Let’s start!
Index of contents
- Word toolbar: how to get it back
- From full screen mode
- With ribbon settings
- Expand the ribbon
- Word Online toolbar: this is how you can configure it
Word toolbar: how to get it back
Depending on the display mode or the applied settings, the toolbar in Word disappears. How to make it appear? Let’s analyze some specific cases.
From full screen mode
Word ‘s full-screen mode is perfect for concentrating while you type or review a document. However, when you enable it, the toolbar vanishes. The good news is that recovering it is very simple.
This is how you can see the ribbon again from the full screen mode of Word:
- By clicking on the three ellipses. In the upper right part of the screen, there is a button with three ellipses. Click on them to restore the toolbar. You should know that this will restore it temporarily, and after using it, it will disappear again.
- With the ALT key. Press the ALT key to bring back the Word toolbar.
- Exiting full screen mode. If you need to access the toolbar continuously, it is best to exit full screen mode. To stay focused on your document, we advise you to enable Do Not Disturb mode or Windows 11 Focus Sessions .
With ribbon settings
You should know about ribbon settings to fully customize the experience of this element in Word. Next, we give you a summary of what you should know.
In the event that the version of Word is Office 2013 or Office 2019, the available parameters are the following:
- Automatically hide the ribbon. This makes the toolbar disappear automatically. You need to click on the top of the app to show it.
- Show tabs. It only shows the main menus. When you click on any of the tabs the commands appear.
- Show tabs and commands. This setting enables tabs and associated toolbars at all times.
When you have the latest versions of Office , the list of options differs a bit. By clicking on the arrow in the lower right corner of the ribbon, you will see the following settings:
- Full screen mode. Activate full screen mode, perfect for concentrating when writing documents. See the previous section to learn how to view the ribbon while it is activated.
- Show only tabs. Only the top tabs appear and not the entire toolbar.
- Always show the toolbar. Keeps all your ribbon shortcuts in view at all times.
Expand the ribbon
Up to this point you already know all the options available to you when customizing the toolbar in Word. But, what should you do to recover it if you have disabled them? There are several ways to make it reappear.
- Double clicking on any of the tabs. That brings up the toolbar for the selected section. For example, a double-click on Home displays options for formatting, editing, and more.
- With a right click on any of the tabs. Thus, the context menu appears and allows you to retrieve the ribbon. You must deactivate the option Collapse the ribbon , as shown in the image above.
- Pressing Ctrl + F1. This is a keyboard combination to open or close the Word toolbar.
Word Online toolbar: this is how you can configure it
On several occasions we have told you about the best free alternatives to Office . Among them, Word Online always appears , the web version of this famous word processor. Users of this online application are also provided with options to customize the toolbar .
Simply click on the down arrow located in the upper right corner of and choose between the following options:
- Classic tape. Enables the Word desktop app toolbar.
- Simplified tape. This is a reduced version of the ribbon. The labels disappear and only the icons are shown.
- always show. Keeps the toolbar in view at all times.
- Auto hide. Makes the ribbon disappear automatically. To show it again, you just have to place the cursor on the top bar, where the text box is located to search for options.
