Random Resetting of the Standard Toolbar

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 16, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Gary wrote about a problem he was experiencing with Excel. It seems that any customizations he made to the Standard toolbar were periodically and randomly removed by Excel. This didn't happen when he customized other toolbars--only the Standard toolbar.

This does, indeed, sound odd. Several other ExcelTips subscribers attempted to duplicate the problem, but were unable to do so. For that reason, it appears that the problem may be due to some conflict with a different program installed on the system. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to track down such problems. The only solution is to work around them.

The first suggestion is to not make any modifications to the Standard toolbar, if that is the only one exhibiting this problem. Instead, create a brand new toolbar and place on it the tools you would normally have on the Standard toolbar, plus your customizations. This leaves the original Standard toolbar "as is" and provides you with a new toolbar that has all the same functionality, customized for your individual needs. You can then turn off the Standard toolbar and only display your custom one.

Another good idea is to periodically back up your toolbar customizations. If you do run into funny, random resetting of the toolbars, you can then use your backup to restore everything the way you want it.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2593) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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