The Developer tab is hidden away on most of the Office Suite's programs but in this post I will cover get it showing in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. I am assuming this is done because the majority of users do not use (learn to use) all the awesome stuff stored on the tab. Microsoft has chosen to hide this Ribbon tab by default.

Ability to insert Form and ActiveX controls (think drop downs, scroll bars, check boxes, etc.).

You can change button color, design, and font to make the buttons look. The advantage of using Excel Shapes over Form Control buttons or ActiveX Control buttons is that shapes allow the most formatting and styling options.

Access to the VBE ( Visual Basic Editor) Apart from creating buttons from the Developer tab, Excel users can use Excel Shapes to create the buttons.

Today you will learn how to unlock some of Microsoft Office's more advanced tasks. Things like a fully loaded QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) and extraneous add-in tabs are dead giveaways a user is delving into some of the more advanced functionalities of Excel (this assumption can be applied to Word & PowerPoint also). The location of this check box is similar in all other applications listed in the 'Applies to' section near the top of this topic.Ĭhoose the OK button to close the Options dialog box.You can typically spot an advanced Excel user from a normal one by looking at their ribbon. The following figure shows the Developer check box in Word 2010 and Word 2013. In the list of main tabs, select the Developer check box. The location of this button is similar in all other applications listed in the 'Applies to' section near the top of this topic. The following figure shows the Options dialog box and the Customize Ribbon button in Excel 2010.

In the ApplicationName Options dialog box, choose the Customize Ribbon button. The following figure shows the Options button in Office 2013. The following figure shows the File tab in Office 2013. The following figure shows the File tab and Options button in Office 2010. On the File tab, choose the Options button. See the Applies to: note earlier in this topic. Start any of the Office applications supported by this topic. Office Add-ins have a small footprint compared to VSTO Add-ins and solutions, and you can build them by using almost any web programming technology, such as HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3, and XML. Interested in developing solutions that extend the Office experience across multiple platforms? Check out the new Office Add-ins model.

Add the developer tab excel