How Do You Retrieve Contextual Tabs in Word 2007?

Contextual tabs can hide, but can always be accessed with a click.

In Word 2007, Microsoft introduced a new user interface featuring the Ribbon. The Ribbon took the place of the traditional drop-down toolbar for applications like Word. The Ribbon runs across the top of the screen in a Word document and is broken up into tabs, groups and commands to help you create documents. Some tabs are hidden until needed. These tabs, called contextual tabs, only appear when you have inserted an object such as a table or a graphic. Using contextual tabs takes a little practice.

Instructions

Picture Tools Format Tab

1. Open Word and a blank document. Click the "Insert" tab and then click "Clip Art." The Clip Art task pane appears to the right. Enter the name of a piece of clip art to search for and click the "Go" button.

2. Click a thumbnail to insert the clip art in the document. When the clip art appears in the document, the "Format" tab appears in the Ribbon. The Format tab allows you to manipulate the clip art with such commands such as size, alignment and shape.

3. Click off the "Clip Art," and the Format tab disappears from the Ribbon. You can retrieve it by clicking the "Clip Art" and then clicking on the "Format" tab in the Ribbon. You can also use some of the format commands by right-clicking on the "Clip Art" to bring up an abbreviated Format menu. Inserting a picture also brings up the Picture Tools Format tab.

Design & Layout Tabs

1. Start Word and create a document. Click the "Insert" tab and then select the "Table" drop-down menu.

2. Highlight the table you want in the table grid or click "Insert Table." After you have created a table, the Table Tools Design tab appears in the Ribbon so you can format the table.

3. Click "Elsewhere in the Document" to make the Table Tools Design tab disappear. Click the "Table" to make the Table Tools Design tab active.

Tips & Warnings

• You will find many of the Insert tab options bring up contextual tabs. Insert SmartArt and the SmartArt Design tab appears, or if you add WordArt, the WordArt Format tab becomes available. You will find contextual tabs appear when you insert charts, text boxes and equations.

• One tab that does not appear on the Ribbon is the Developer tab. This tab can be turned on and off when the user needs it to create macros, applications and templates for Word. To turn on the Developer tab, click the "Microsoft Office" button and click "Word Options." Click "Popular" in the left task pane and then check the check box for "Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon." Click "OK" to show the Developer tab. Reverse the process to hide it.

References

• University of Wisconsin: Office 2007: Contextual Tabs and Galleries
• PC Magazine: Getting Familiar with the Office Ribbon
• University of Iowa: What's New in Office 2007
• Microsoft Office: Show the Developer Tab or Run in Developer Mode
• Office Online: Up to Speed with the 2007 Office System