The navigation bar comes with predefined Groups and their associated actions. And, if the groups are not to your liking, you can create one of your own. Or reposition the groups to what you use most frequently. In addition, you can choose the layout you want, classic or simplified. But, there are some limitations and best practices that you should consider. They are shared in this post or watch the video.
How to navigate to the customization settings?
- From the ribbon in the far-left corner, click on More options (three dots), then Customize.
- The Customized Mail pane appears and is grouped into three primary sections.
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- The Group Placements shows the order that the groups will appear on the navigation bar. You can reposition the groups by dropping and dragging them into a new location.
- The Group area allows you to rename existing groups or create your own. I will talk about this a little later.
- The Buttons area contains actions that can be used in a group. Each button can be used only once.
How to Create, Edit, and Delete a Group for the Navigation Bar?
It is worth saying that customized groups are not shown in the Classic Layout view. They will appear in the Simplified view without the group’s name. Only the action’s icon and title will appear.
Again, the buttons can be used once and noted with a checkmark. Finally, here is how you can create, edit, and delete a group from the navigation bar.
- To create a group, click on +Add Group in the Groups area
- Click on the Pencil to Edit the New Group’s name.
- You can change the group’s name anytime. Even though you are naming this group, the group name does not show in the navigation bar. This would have been an excellent addition. Let me know in the comments if you agree with me.
- To Delete a group, click on the group’s name and the Trashcan
How to reposition groups and actions in the navigation bar?
- To reposition groups or actions (buttons) within a group, place your cursor on the item you want to move.
- Next, while holding the cursor button, you can drag it to where you want it.
How to Reset the Navigation Bar to the Default Settings?
It will be a little challenging if you change your grouping dramatically and contact Help support. Or if you attend training or watch tutorials, navigating to the actions will be different. So, keep that in mind before you start customizing your ribbon. But you can Reset to Microsoft’s defaults.
Important: Once you reset the navigation bar to the default settings, your customizations are gone permanently.
That said, I would like two preset options, which will allow customization for daily purposes and the default settings for training and support. I have given Microsoft this feedback; please vote if you like to see this functionality. Vote: Feeback Portal: Customized Navigation Bar – Want Presets · Community (microsoft.com)
How to Show/Hide Labels on the Navigation Bar?
You have three options to display the action’s icon and title in the navigation bar.
How to change the Navigation Bar layout between Classic and Simplified?
- From the navigation bar in the far-right corner, click on the drop-down menu icon.
- Next, you can select the layout of your choice.
