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How can I control which tabs are available to be opened in the MS Word 2010 ribbon?

Under Word Options > Customize Ribbon > Main Tabs there are several groups checked (Blog Post, Insert (Blog Post), Outlining, Background Removal), but they don't appear on the ribbon even though there is space for them. How is one supposed to turn them on or get to them?

The one in particular I'm after today is the Blog Post tab, which I know I can get to in a round about way via File > New > Blog Post Template. However I don't want a new post, rather an old one, which means File > New > Blog Post Template > Open existing > [select from list] > [close new blog post window] > [slap No I don't to save darn it]. Extra work for nothing is irritating; how do I get Blog Post (or Outlining or ...) to show up in that nice empty space next to AddIns?

Word with enabled but still hidden ribbon tabs

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  • What happens when you maximise the window? Same thing?
    – user3463
    Jul 16, 2012 at 20:06
  • @RandolphWest, yes, there is no change to the visible tabs when maximized (the contents of each tab changes with window width, but not which tabs are available). Jul 16, 2012 at 21:00
  • What happens if you uncheck/hide some of the other ones that are 'usually' there? What happens if you move them further up in the list? Jul 16, 2012 at 21:12
  • @techie007, none of the items below AddIns in the customize list can be moved as the up/down arrows are disabled when any of them are selected. De-checking any of the tab groups above AddIns removes them from the interface, as expected. Jul 16, 2012 at 22:21

5 Answers 5

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Check to make sure the addins are actually enabled in Word. Go to File > Options > Add-Ins and see if the add ins appear under "Inactive Application Add-Ins". If so click it and then the "Go..." button at the bottom of the page. Then, in the box that pops up, enable the add ins in question.

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For Word 2013, I did find a way to make it show:

Customize the Ribbon > All Tabs (from the Choose commands from drop-down arrow) > click Outlining > click Add.

Yes, do this even though it's already showing in the list of tabs on the Main Tabs box on the right side of window. I Googled high and low, went to MS' site a dozen times, but couldn't find a straight answer. Anyways, this works.

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I tried the above methods and they did not work for me... this is what worked for me. go to FILE> OPTIONS> CUSTOMIZE RIBBON> then go to whatever is not showing even though it is checked (mine was the ADD INS TAB, I have a third party program that is activated in this tab) and UNCHECK IT. then close the window. NOW go back to FILE> OPTIONS> CUSTOMIZE RIBBON> and RECHECK YOUR OPTION THAT YOU JUST UNCHECKED, then close the window. it has worked for me several times. Don't know why it keeps doing that to me but this works every time

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After trying everything listed here, I got success with this route:

File > Options > Add-ins > Manage (at bottom of pop-up window) > Templates > Go. Then I added the new ComplexDocument.dot file that my manager sent and I had saved to my Templates folder. Now I can see the Add-ins tab (plus all the macros I need).

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In Office 2010 the culprit (at least for the Outlining tab which I use) is the tiny hidden button on the status bar at the bottom right. Click on this button, you get the Outlining tab and the functionality associated with it. This tab only shows at the top when you 'switch gears' into outlining mode. Not a clue how to find the blogging functions but this shows that some tabs only display when functions are invoked by other means and I didn't have to change any settings to get there.

Good luck finding what you need!

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  • This does not seem to be very helpful.  You say "tiny hidden button"; is it visible at all?  If so, can you describe what it looks like?  Does a tooltip (text) appear when you point at it and hover?  (If so, what does it say?)  You say "on the status bar at the bottom right."  Do you mean at the bottom right of the status bar, or do you mean at the right of the status bar (which is at the bottom of the window)?  How far to the right?  To the right of the zoom controls?  Etc. Nov 5, 2015 at 23:48
  • Sorry. I tried posting a snip but I'm new here and have no points. The Word 2010 status bar has the zoom controls and five icons on the right side at the bottom of the window; the icons are to the left of the zoom slider. These icons show tooltips (if you have tooltips enabled) and are, from left to right, "Print Layout", "Full Screen Reading", "Outline", and "Draft". Since I'm old, all of the icons are 'hidden' because they are, subjectively, too small to notice for most folks... if you had seen them you would know what I was talking about, but they are right THERE. Nov 6, 2015 at 0:51
  • The icons/options are also available by clicking the view menu and appear at the left side of the ribbon. The blogging tab and associated ribbon buttons in 2010 only appear if you use the template to open a blog entry from the "New" option. The point is, the tabs under discussion by the original questioner are context-sensitive and only are displayed when the proper conditions are met within Word, NOT by making changes in settings. Nov 6, 2015 at 16:17
  • Thanks for responding and (apparently) doing additional research.  Your comments are informative, useful, and clearly written.  I suggest that you edit your answer and put all this good stuff in there.  Posts (questions and answers) are judged by their content, often ignoring the comments beneath them (even if they are written by the author of the post).  If you make your answer more complete and thorough by adding these details, people will be more likely to vote for it. Nov 6, 2015 at 19:38

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