How to Hide and Restore the Microsoft Word Ribbon

 Quick Tips

• Never forget – the “Ribbon Display Options” icon is always at the top-right of your screen.
• There are simple keyboard shortcuts you can use to temporarily hide and restore Word ribbon access.

• The Microsoft Word ribbon can be your best friend or an annoying little feature you just want to get out of the way. You need it for formatting, obviously. Every font change or page break comes thanks to that ribbon. However, if you want as crystal clear a view of your Word document as possible, you may want to eliminate it entirely.

  Either way, we have you covered.

We’ll show you how to hide and restore Word ribbon access so you can completely control the icons at the top of your document.

We have a couple of methods for hiding your Word ribbon. One is temporary, with the other being a more permanent fix you’ll have to reverse if you want the ribbon back later.

Method 1. Use the Ribbon Icon

You’ll go digging through your ribbon options with these steps designed to get that ribbon out of your way altogether.

Step 1. Open a new Microsoft Word document and click on the “Ribbon Display Options” icon at the top-right of the screen. It’s between the “Minimize Document” icon and your profile picture.

Step 2. Select “Auto-hide Ribbon” from the list of options. “Show Tab” is also a good option if you just want to see the basic Ribbon tabs without all of the icons that are usually underneath them.