How to Use the Quick Access Toolbar in Microsoft Word 2013

The Quick Access Toolbar is a very useful feature in MS Word 2013. It’s where the most necessary commands for working with documents are found. You can customize these commands according to your needs. If you have problems using the Quick Access Toolbar or if you’re new to MS Word 2013, read this article on how to use the Quick Access Toolbar in MS Word 2013.

How to use the Quick Access Toolbar in Microsoft Word 2013

The Quick Access Toolbar is found in the upper left-hand area of MS Word, on top of the Ribbon field. It has a group of small icons, each with its own action or command to carry out. These include Save, Undo, Redo and the Touch/Mouse button. This set of buttons can differ and depend on local customization.

You can use the drop-down button behind the Quick Access Toolbar—named Customize Quick Access Toolbar—to customize it. After clicking on this, you’ll see a long list of commands. Some of them are ticked, some are not, depending on which buttons are installed on the Quick Access Toolbar.

If you tick any of the unmarked commands, they will show up on the Quick Access Toolbar immediately. For example, check Open, and its icon will be available on the Quick Access Toolbar after that. You can also add or remove any of the buttons from the Quick Access Toolbar by doing this.

The Customize Quick Access Toolbar window also contains More Commands. After selecting this, you’ll get the page Word Options, where you can see the Quick Access Toolbar menu. Click it, and the next dialog window will come up.

On the left side window named Choose commands from, you can select any of the additional commands, such as Font, Cut, Copy, and others, which will be accessible on the Quick Access Toolbar after selecting and adding.

At the same time, you’ll see current Toolbar buttons in the right part of the window named Customize Quick Access Toolbar. Use Add>> and Remove>> to add and remove buttons. After selecting any of the commands from the right side part of the window, and pressing Add>>, you’ll automatically see them in the left side window. You can remove them by pressing Remove>>.

Switching between Popular commands and All commands will give you more variety in terms of the commands which can be added on the Quick Access Toolbar. Click OK after making your choice. Selected command icons will be available on the Quick Access Toolbar from now on. You can keep as many buttons as you need for your work and remove them after you’re finished.

If you prefer seeing the Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon, go to Customize Quick Access Toolbar and select Show below the Ribbon.

As you can see, the Quick Access Toolbar is very useful for getting access to the buttons or commands you need.

Simon C

Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA. He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!