PowerPoint gives you the option of creating customized toolbars — so you can create a quick tool collection of those features you use the most. A customized toolbar is wonderful when working on a large presentation with many similar tasks.

In this example, the customized toolbar contains the following frequently-used commands: Insert Clip Art, Insert Picture from File, Insert Chart, Action Settings, Slide Transition, Flying Effect, Camera Effect, and Flash Once. This puts the commands right at the user’s fingertips. Instead of being accessed through pull-down menus, commands are a click-away!

To create a customized toolbar in PowerPoint

1. Open PowerPoint.



2. Click Tools > Customize. Then select the Toolbars tab.



3. Click New.



4. In the Toolbar name box, enter a name. Then click OK. In this case, we have defined a new toolbar — called "Personal".






5. Select the Commands tab.



6. To add a button to the toolbar, click a category in the Categories box. Then drag the desired command from the Commands box to the displayed toolbar. We have selected the Camera Effect (from the Animation Effects options).






7. If you want to add a built-in menu to the toolbar, click Built-in Menus in the Categories box. Then drag the menu you want from the Commands box to the displayed toolbar.



8. When you have added all the buttons and menus you want, click Close.

Bonus Tip! You can also add a custom menu to a toolbar . . . Just follow the steps for creating a custom toolbar. Then, select the toolbar you want to change. On the Tools menu, click Customize. Then click the Commands tab. In the Categories box, click New Menu. Drag New Menu from the Commands box to the displayed toolbar. Right-click the new menu on the toolbar, enter the desired name in the Name box on the shortcut menu, and then press Enter. To add a command to the custom menu, click the custom menu name on the toolbar to display an empty box. Click a category in the Categories box, and then drag the command from the Commands box to the empty box.