Majority of Windows users are familiar with Microsoft Office suite. Most of us use one or more Office programs in our day-to-day work. Users who have been using Office 2007 or Office 2010 suite would be knowing about the Ribbon and its advantages.
As all of you know, Microsoft has incorporated the Ribbon in Windows 8 Explorer as well. The Explorer Ribbon lets you easily access various commands and options without opening the file menu. The Explorer Ribbon can be minimized and maximized with the help of Ctrl + F1 hotkey. One can also access all options and settings in the Ribbon using keyboard shortcuts.
But if you can’t remember all keyboard shortcuts and want a better way to access your frequently accessed commands and options, we have a smart solution to share with you.
Just like in Office 2007 and Office 2010, one can pin their favourite commands and options to the Quick Access Toolbar. As you may know, the Quick Access Toolbar is located in the upper-left corner of the Explorer by default and shows some commands by default. You can customize the Toolbar by adding your favourite commands and options so that you can access all those items without opening the Ribbon.
Follow the given below steps to know how to customize the Explorer Quick Access Toolbar by adding new commands.
Step 1: Open up Windows Explorer (File Explorer) by clicking on the Explorer icon present in the Taskbar or by pressing Windows + E hotkey.
Step 2: Next, if the Ribbon is minimized, click Ctrl + F1 keys to maximize it. You can also minimize/maximize the ribbon by clicking up/down arrow button located in the upper right of the Explorer.
Step 3: Switch to any tab, right-click (see how to right-click on touch screen) on the command/option that you wish to see in the Quick Access Toolbar and then select Add to Quick Access Toolbar option to see the command/option in the Quick Access Toolbar area. To remove an item from the Toolbar, right-click on the item and then select “Remove from Quick Access Toolbar” option. That’s it!
Tip: You can also change the default position of Quick Access Toolbar. By default it appears above the Ribbon. To position Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon, right-click on Quick Access Toolbar area and then select “Show quick access toolbar below the ribbon” option.
Don’t forget to check out Ribbon Icons Customizer to replace default icons of Windows 8 Explorer with custom ones.
