MS Word - Lost "Customize" in Tools dropdown

[Jon]

MS Word 2003 SP2
While checking websites and fiddling with my Word menus, I accidentally
deleted the "Customize..." option in my Tools dropdown list. I realize now
that I mis-used that Ctrl-Shift-hyphen (or whatever) gizmo. And now I can't
get it back.
The Customize... function is still there when I right-click on the actual
tool bar, but I'm concerned that I'll forget that after today. (early and
advanced senility, don't you know)

Related question (if this is allowed) ...
While fiddling with menus, I added the "Work" option to both my Standard and
Formatting toolbars, and I'd like to remove it from both. Can't figure it
out.
Thanks for any help,
Jon

 

[Jay Freedman]

For the first question, double-click a blank area to the right of the
toolbars to open the Customize dialog, and then see
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/RestoreMenuCmd.htm for the rest
of the procedure. Also read
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/LostSymbol.htm.

For the second one, just hold down the Alt key while you drag the menu off
the toolbar and drop it in the document area. Alternatively, open the
Customize dialog -- even before you put the command back on the toolbar, you
can double-click to the right of the toolbars -- and drag the menus off the
toolbars while the dialog is open.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Jon]

Jay,
Thanks. Your fix for my second question was fine.
Re: first question
I had previously found those links (and that's how I wound up in this Office
Community) but, when I click on the Tools category, I am unable to drag *any*
command over to Tools. When I left-click on a Command, a "plus sign" is
added to the cursor - but as soon as I drag it the "plus sign" changes to a
bold "x" and nothing happens when I drag it to anything in the Tools column.
I'm willing to try option 3 but (senility again?) can't find my normal.dot
Jon

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You have to drag it over the Tools menu item and wait for the Tools menu to
open, then drop it on the menu.

 

[Jay Freedman]

As Suzanne says, if you drag the command and hover over the Tools menu
item, the menu drops down. I gather that you did that, but the cursor
stayed as an "x" and wouldn't let you drop within the menu. I don't
know what would cause that -- normally any command can be dropped on
any menu or toolbar.

If you want to go for Method 3, first open My Computer (Windows
Explorer), click Tools > Folder Options, and select the option to show
hidden folders and files. The normal.dot template is (by default)
stored in C:\Documents and Settings\<your name>\Application
Data\Microsoft\Templates, and the Application Data folder and
everything under it is marked as hidden. Once you can see hidden
folders, you can go directly to that folder or use the Search function
on the Start menu to find normal.dot.

 

[Jon]

Thanks Suzanne (and Jay),
Silly me. When the step said
"In the Commands list, scroll down to the missing command and drag it with
the mouse out of the list and *UP* [my emphasis] to the desired menu, pausing
when you get there to let the menu drop down ..."
I thought it was referring to the item in the Categories list just an inch
to the left.
DOH!
(Maybe "and out of the Customize window" could be added to the instructions
to help dumb users like me.)
Jon

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think your misunderstanding is a common one. It never occurred to the
writers that people wouldn't understand that they were dragging things out
of Customize and into Word itself. <g>

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Thanks Suzanne (and Jay),
Silly me. When the step said
"In the Commands list, scroll down to the missing command and drag it with
the mouse out of the list and *UP* [my emphasis] to the desired menu,
pausing
when you get there to let the menu drop down ..."
I thought it was referring to the item in the Categories list just an inch
to the left.
DOH!
(Maybe "and out of the Customize window" could be added to the
instructions
to help dumb users like me.)
Jon

You have to drag it over the Tools menu item and wait for the Tools menu
to
open, then drop it on the menu.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA