Excel 2002/2003 vs. 2007 Differences-Part 1 Toolbar Help

This article is the first in a series of articles which explores the differences in Microsoft Excel 2002/2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2002 (XP version) and Microsoft Office 2003 are very similar so there’s no too much to worry about with those versions. But if you have moved to Office 2007 along with using Windows Vista, you have probably noticed that the differences are major. In this article, we’ll take a look at the toolbar differences in Excel. Other articles will cover more differences in Excel, and will have a look at Word and PowerPoint differences as well.

The new "Ribbon" is part of the new Microsoft Office user interface. Commands have been organized differently, in more logical order, collected in group, rather than pull-down menus. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to switch back to the old toolbars in earlier version of Office.

The most obvious command that I noticed the first time I saw Office 2007 was the "File" pull-down menu. All the commands are still available under the new Microsoft Office button at the upper left. Click on the office button located on the upper left to see the list of commands that used to be under the "File" pull-down menu.

There are a few more commands on the new menu, including the Print and Print Preview options.

I use the Help menu a lot, and you'll notice even the Help pull-down menu is no longer there. To launch help, click on the little question mark in the circle towards the upper right of your window. There are lots of demos and tutorials, along with the usual step-by-step instructions in help on most commands.

I hope you found this article helpful.

Next article: Excel 2002/2003 vs. 2007 Differences-Part 2 File Compatibility