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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Returning a Weight and a Date

If you have two columns containing dates and weights from those dates, you may want to pick a date associated with a ...

Discover More

Printing a Worksheet List

Want a list of all the worksheets in your workbook? Here's a short, handy macro that will place all the worksheet names ...

Discover More

Creating Venn Diagrams with Excel Data

A common way of representing data is to use a Venn diagram. Unfortunately, Excel doesn't have a precise way of creating ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Editing a Toolbar Button Image

Don't like the toolbar button images in your version of Excel? Don't fret; you can pull up the button editor and make ...

Discover More

Buttons for Workbooks

Wouldn't it be great to have a workbook accessible with just a single button click? It's possible if you follow the steps ...

Discover More

Where is Toolbar Customization Information Stored?

When you make a change to one of Excel's toolbars, do you know where that change is stored? This tip explains the name ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two minus 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.