How to: Change Microsoft Office 2007 Skin and use Classic pull-down menu instead of the Ribbon
We have received a few questions lately about changing Microsoft Office 2007 to look more like 2003. First of all, no , there is no built-in option to get your Office 2003 pull down menu back, however, you still have a couple options.
The least intrusive route is to simply:
Change the color scheme from the normal black or blue, to silver. This option is available by clicking the "Office Button" in the top left corner. Then selecting the "Word Options" button at the bottom of that window. Once the "Word Options" window comes up, you will already be in the "Popular" options menu, in the right pane, the first pull-down box you see will be for Color scheme. This is where you can select your color choice and click "Ok" to finish.
Another option is to install an add-in that will bring back those classic looking Office 2003 pull down menus. While the Ribbon menu is meant to make all of our lives easier, simply go here, to get started. Then by right-clicking on the "Office Button" you can select minimize Ribbon and leave only the classic pull-down menu.
http://www.addintools.com/english/menuoffice/
Source(s):
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9017851
http://www.neowin.net/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t589946.html
Why the hell should I buy the addin after I bought the 2007! This is a waste of time, and shouldn’t have been changed in the first place!
You shouldn’t have bought it Addin when UBitMenu is free and the same exact thing. http://www.ubit.ch/software/ubitmenu-languages/
You are just used to old software, the new version is fine and quicker if you know how to use it.
the new version is horrible for people that use keyboard shortcuts most of the time. I am a person that rarely touched the mouse and now I am forced to because none of the letters you hit for the shortcuts even make sense and take a while to look for what im trying to do.
Many users in my company used to work in office 2003, 2000, and when I started to install 2007 it’s like someone changed the driving rules of the car. If you are used to that gas pedal is on the right brake in the middle and clutch on the left how would you feel to place them different? My point is that it is not meant only for people from IT to know how to use it, it is the end user that needs to know how to use it. For me this cosmetic add-in is just what people needed to get back in business.
Jasmin, we have known a few groups to express similar interests in applications like these. Also, its a good idea to keep in mind that this post was written at the very beginning of 2008. When Office 2010 was only starting to get started in business (it was released at the beginning of 2007). Most users have who started to complain, adapted, much like anything else that changes in business. We have also heard users completely flip-flop to loving the ribbon. As “all the features are right in front of me”, rather than having to look for those pesky drop downs.
The plans for this remake were to make new users and old users get similar results in short time…
As a result, old users became new users. Microsoft made disappear all of our experience and years of work.
I’m glad there’s a solution: Just delete this Office suite and reinstall Office 2003.