The Quick Access Toolbar is often overlooked by PowerPoint users, but it's a powerful tool for optimizing your workflow. This article will show you how to define your own commands for the Quick Access Toolbar.
The Quick Access Toolbar in the upper left corner of the PowerPoint window contains the "Save," "Undo," and "Redo" functions by default. In fact, this toolbar can be almost entirely customized and extended to enable more productive and easier work with PowerPoint. You can tailor the workspace to your specific workflows and requirements.
Here's how to customize the Quick Access Toolbar
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Click the downward-pointing arrow icon above the tabs at the top of the PowerPoint window and open the context menu "Customize Quick Access Toolbar". There you will find the following options:
- You can add pre-configured commands from the context menu by marking them with a checkmark.
- You can also add more commands by clicking "More commands…". In the dialog box that appears, select the desired commands from the list under "Choose commands" and click "Add". Clicking "OK" adds them to the Quick Access Toolbar.
- The "Show below ribbon" option allows you to change the position of the Quick Access Toolbar. It will then be displayed below the ribbon.
- Commands can also be added directly to the Quick Access Toolbar. To do this, right-click the corresponding button in the ribbon and select "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" from the context menu. This is useful, for example, if you notice while working on a slide that a particular function is used frequently.
- To remove a command from the toolbar, first right-click the icon. Then select "Remove from Quick Access Toolbar" from the context menu.
Which commands you find most useful in the Quick Access Toolbar depends largely on your individual workflow. From our practical experience, these include functions like "Save As" (to save presentations in other file formats such as PDF) or "Start Slide Show" (to immediately switch to presentation mode). Experiment a little to find your ideal workflow.
Free download: The toolbar with the most important shortcuts
Download and import the predefined toolbar containing what we consider to be the most important PowerPoint commands. Instructions for the import process can be found on page 4 of our guide, which also includes general tips for customizing the toolbar.
Download 1 >>> Toolbar with the most important PowerPoint shortcuts
Download 2 >>> Customizing the Toolbar Instructions