Oct 16 2018 10:44 PM
I find outlook totally unusable since it updated to the new for-toddler icons.
Not only is it ugly, it's distracting and unusable. As if outlook is broken and running in safe-let's-go-back-to-1995-mode.
How can I revert to the old layout and look, without losing the security updates?
I'm using system restore now to always go back to the sane look, but I guess that's not really feasible in the long term. I will now also turn off office updates. But that can't be the goal either...
Shouldn't there be an option for us to pick a look?
Should we start a petition to give us that choice. Or am I the only one who doesn't like it? I think I'm even totally allergic to it...
Jul 25 2019 01:15 PM
@Vasil MichevNot an option???? I hate the new ribbons. At least tell us how do add icons to the tool bar (such as delete) and get rid of the design tab which is seldom used
@Vasil Michev wrote:Sadly, the team decided that this is not a configurable option. If the new look annoys you that much, your only option is to revert back to an older build: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2770432/how-to-revert-to-an-earlier-version-of-office-2013-...
Incidentally, the article seems to be broken atm, hopefully it works when you click later :)
Aug 09 2019 06:40 PM
it just takes up to much space. and it looks like if you hide it the old version pops up, until you PIN it.
Oct 02 2019 08:50 AM
@Geert Verschaeve the spacing on the toolbar is the Mouse vs Touch settings on the ribbon. The mouse setting reverts the toolbar back to the "classic" denser command buttons.
Oct 02 2019 09:39 AM
@Dr__ZThat is interesting!
You know, maybe I'm just getting old and tired. It seems the modern way all boils down to how things look, everything is going that route: form over function, eye-candy over usability. I am SO fed up of it.
Being unable to find office pack renewal in my language I have to buy local, bracing myself for the unexpected joys there too.
Oct 02 2019 03:31 PM
@dmrounsThe buttons are so big because you have Touch Mode enabled. If you disable touch mode, everything becomes small again, like in your upper screenshot.
Oct 28 2019 10:26 AM
Oct 28 2019 10:28 AM
Nov 17 2019 04:02 PM
@Geert Verschaeve In the upper right hand corner there is an icon for "Show Ribbon Options". If you click on "Show tabs only" and then select the tab you want to use, you will see something that is closer to the old look that office used to have.
I completely agree the new look is horrible. Takes up so much space on my laptop screen.
Cyndi
Feb 07 2020 05:57 AM
As others have mentioned, the MSFT folks have taken a step backwards in usability in their efforts to be hip and trendy (and more Apple like).
The situation is another benefit for using virtual machines. I have a MacBookPro (better designed, engineered and built than anything you can find in the Windows world) running Parallels. I run a Win10 VM for most of my stuff, but keep a Win7 VM running so I can have my old, more useful and more productive Outlook 2010 at hand.
Feb 26 2020 10:16 AM
I totally agree with you. The simplified ribbon is not helpful at all for someone who has learned the tool and uses the majority of its features.
In Outlook the Appointment simplification now does not allow me to see the calendar for invites so I can see who's in and who's out...ridiculous.
Microsoft I do not have the time to spend customizing the ribbon on all the products every time I use it. Please do something about this.
Feb 27 2020 01:40 AM
Feb 27 2020 05:21 AM
Vision concerns have to come second it seems. I have been having pen and palm rejection problems since December. This past week or two, Word has been so clunky, I resorted to reinstalling Office. That of course means that my toolbars are all out of size and only grey in colour yet again. I give up. The only plus is that my pen problems have vanished at least. I can now draw smooth lines without splotches appearing.
I have had to rearrange my icons and tabs because they were collapsed instead of expanded as they were, even in desktop/mouse mode.
MS seems not to listen or care.
Feb 27 2020 06:51 AM
I have had to rearrange my icons and tabs because they were collapsed
instead of expanded as they were, even in desktop/mouse mode.
Well the collapsed part is easy to correct, at least: There is a push pin that you can click to keep the ribbon open. The push pin changes to a carat in the lower right corner of the ribbon to collapse it again.
Feb 27 2020 07:55 AM
Thanks but been there, done that. Still does not restore size and layout to original. Pinning keeps some parts expanded at the (rather random) expense of others. I moved some icons to other custom groups and all are expanded as before the repair. Each time I have added a dictionary or something to Office, I have had to revert to previous version afterwards in order to restore icon colours and layout as I want, without having to fiddle with overall Win text size/resolution.
I've really had enough of it all. Pen behaviour after some Win update in Dec 2019 was just so random, and pen mouse behaviour similarly so. Seems Win updates clunked with older version of Office. So as i am a dedicated pen user, this version will have to stay :persevering_face:
Feb 27 2020 07:57 AM
When you say upper right hand corner, is that only in Outlook? I can't see anything elsewhere, e.g. in Word.
May 06 2020 02:23 AM
You made great points. I use Office at work and have an O365 subscription for home. At work, we are very Zoom/ G Suite/ Slack focused but if I want to get anything serious done, I go back to Excel, Powerpoint etc. There is a group of us resisting the move to dumbed down, over simplified, hard to use interfaces because that is Google Sheets!! After reading your post and all the others, I will give up, use Google sheets, and will wait for the renewal of O365 at home and cancel it. Hard to believe MS has worked hard to give up it's advantage and lose revenue.
May 06 2020 03:03 AM
May 07 2020 10:46 AM
sorry, I don't know how to post.
In Outlook in the top right side you can see a small arrow.
It will alternate between Simplified ribbon and Classic ribbon.
I hope this helps.
May 08 2020 02:26 AM
May 19 2020 04:09 PM
@Susan Coward i think if you still have the new toddler icons, you should stop automatic updates