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How to: Show the Developer Tab on the Ribbon

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By default, Microsoft Office applications don’t display the Developer tab on the Ribbon. You might need to access this tab to perform a task while you’re developing an Office solution in Visual Studio. For example, if you want to add a GroupContentControl to a document-level customization for Microsoft Office Word, you must use the Developer tab in Word.

Applies to: The information in this topic applies to document-level projects and application-level projects for the following applications: Excel 2007 and Excel 2010; InfoPath 2010; Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010; PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2010; Project 2010; Visio 2010; Word 2007 and Word 2010. For more information, see Features Available by Office Application and Project Type.

Showing the Developer Tab for Microsoft Office 2010 Applications

To show the Developer tab for Word 2010, Excel 2010, Outlook 2010, and PowerPoint 2010

  1. Start the Office application (Word 2010, Excel 2010, Outlook 2010, or PowerPoint 2010).

  2. Choose the File tab, and then choose Options.

  3. In the categories pane, choose Customize Ribbon.

  4. In the list of main tabs, choose Developer.

  5. Choose the OK button to close the Options dialog box.

Showing the Developer Tab for the 2007 Microsoft Office System

To show the Developer tab for Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007

  1. Start the Office application (Word 2007, Excel 2007, or PowerPoint 2007).

  2. Choose the Microsoft Office Button.

    Office 2007 Button

  3. Choose Word Options, Excel Options, or PowerPoint Options.

  4. In the categories pane, choose Popular.

  5. Select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box.

  6. Choose the OK button to close the Options dialog box.

To show the Developer tab for Outlook 2007

  1. Start Outlook.

  2. On the menu bar, choose Tools, Options.

  3. In the Options dialog box, choose the Other tab, and then choose Advanced Options.

  4. In the Advanced Options dialog box, select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box, and then choose the OK button.

  5. Choose the OK button to close the Options dialog box.

See Also

Other Resources

Office UI Customization