How to minimize the ribbon in Office

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

If you need more space when composing a Word document or and Excel spreadsheet, you can minimize the Office ribbon and still have access to its features.

To put the Ribbon into minimized mode, just right-click an open area on the Ribbon and choose Minimize the Ribbon.  You can also use the shortcut CTRL-F1

hide ribbon screenshot

With the Ribbon hidden you can still pull up the menus by clicking a tab which relates to a type of activity. The Ribbon will hide once you click your mouse away from it.

To restore the Ribbon, right click again in the ribbon and unselect Minimize the ribbon or again use the shortcut, CTRL-F1.