Where is the Ribbon in PowerPoint?

The ribbon in PowerPoint is the most important part of the software; it has almost everything you need to make presentations of any kind. From text boxes to 3D models, the ribbon in PowerPoint offers one-stop access to all the tool’s features.

To master PowerPoint, you must know “where is the ribbon in PowerPoint” and how to effectively use and customize it. Some features may not be visible on the ribbon by default. We will also cover how to hide or show certain tools on the ribbon.

Where is the Ribbon?

When you open a PowerPoint document, the ribbon appears as a row of labels, or what we call tabs. The ribbon in PowerPoint is located right below the presentation name at the top. In the image below:

• The menu space marked in red is the ribbon
• The options marked in green are called tabs
• For every tab, the ribbon shows options related to that tab

What are Tabs in PowerPoint?

Every category in the ribbon is called a tab. Clicking a tab will open different options in the ribbon related to that tab. When you see a downward arrow next to any function, it means more options are available, and you can click the arrow to display more functions. Here are tabs that you see on the ribbon by default:

1. Home
2. Insert
3. Design
4. Transitions
5. Animations
6. Slide Show
7. Review
8. View
9. File
10. Tools tabs

Some options in the ribbons have a launcher at the corner, as shown in the image below.  Clicking this icon will open a new pop-up with more options.

How to Hide or Show Ribbon in PowerPoint?

By default, ribbon and tabs are always active, which makes it easier for you to access the desired tools anytime. For some projects, you may want to use maximum space on the screen. For that purpose, you can easily hide or show the ribbon.

Open any tab, let’s say the View tab, and click the Arrow at the end of the ribbon as shown in the image below. It will open a short menu from where you can choose:

• Full screen mode: Hide tabs, ribbon, and quick access bar
• Show tabs only: Hide ribbon, only visible by clicking any tab
• Always show ribbon: Always show tabs and ribbon
• Hide the quick access bar

How to Customize the Ribbon in PowerPoint?

Do you know that your current ribbon does not display all the available tabs, tools, and features? The Developer tab is a popular tab that is needed for some advanced functionalities. But many users don’t know how to activate the Developer tab or how to customize the ribbon in PowerPoint.

Follow these simple steps to customize the ribbon, to remove or add tabs to the ribbon.

Step 1: Locate Customize Ribbon Option

Open PowerPoint, and then right-click anywhere on the ribbon, and you will see a menu with the Customize the Ribbon option. Click it, and a new window will appear with lots of options.

Step 2: Customize the Ribbon

In this new window, you see the right menu has different options and tabs that you see on the ribbon, and some are unchecked.

If you want to show any specific tab on the ribbon, make sure it is checked and then click OK. That tab will also be added to the ribbon.

Supercharge PowerPoint with AI

While exploring all these tabs and menus, you might have realized that PowerPoint has no advanced features that can help generate slides with AI. The lack of AI capabilities might be a downside of using PowerPoint for some users.

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We realized this challenge and came up with a revolutionary add-in for PowerPoint, Twistly. We created Twistly to integrate ChatGPT-like capabilities in PowerPoint.

Installing this add-in for PowerPoint allows you to make complete presentations with AI, or also optimize slides and other aspects of presentations with AI. Instead of exploring hidden features in the tabs and ribbon, prompt Twistly in natural language and get instant results.

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PowerPoint is way more powerful and user-friendly with Twistly. On average, Twistly takes less than 90 seconds to create a complete presentation. From opening the PowerPoint software to saving your final PPT slides, it will take you roughly two minutes.

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Final Words

The menu bar with different categories and tool menus is called the ribbon in PowerPoint, and you can customize it according to your project requirements. Exploring every tool in the ribbon may be hard for you because mastering these tools requires experience and time.

The easiest way to make use of all the tools required to make a professional presentation is to use Twistly. Instead of you using the complex tools and functions, AI does the hard work for you. You just enter the topic and wait for the magic to happen.