Microsoft Project 2010: The Missing Manual

Chapter 25. Customizing the Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar

When you first start using Project 2010, you pick commands from the ribbon. After using the program for a while, you may discover that some commands get a lot of exercise, that some starve for attention, and that a few you want are nowhere to be found. For example, you may never choose any of the Gantt Chart Style buttons to change the color theme for your task bars. At the same time, you might rather see the Format Painter command on the Format tab. And you need the Edit Links command to update the connections to files you link to your Project schedule.

Fortunately, in Project 2010, you can customize the ribbon to suit your needs. You can turn tabs on or off, create your own tabs and groups, add commands to groups, and rearrange the order of elements (tabs, groups, and commands). This chapter shows you how to do all these things. The Quick Access toolbar sits above the left side of the ribbon. Adding commands to it is even easier than customizing the ribbon. Making changes to the ribbon and the Quick Access toolbar takes only a few minutes, but it might save hours in the long run.

Customizing the Ribbon

As you’ve seen throughout this book, the ribbon is made up of several tabs, like Task Resource, Project, View, and Format. Within each tab, groups keep related commands close to one another, like the Split View group on the View tab, which contains commands for working with the Timeline view and Details pane. Commands reside ...