Did you know that you can design your own menu with all of the commands you use most often? Or that you can add and delete buttons on existing toolbars? If you're a mouse user, this course will show you how to create your own toolbars and menus, as well as how to change existing ones.

To learn more about this course, read the overview in the center of this page or the table of contents in the left column.

When you've finished reading this page, click the Next button to start the first lesson.

Although Office programs are highly customizable, some of the customizable features are difficult to find, so people don't use them. You will find out how useful having your own preferences can be. And, how simple it is to set up your own preferences.

For example, if you insert a lot of WordArt while you work, but don't often use the rest of the WordArt toolbar, you can avoid clutter by adding the Insert WordArt button to a toolbar that you use all the time. An added bonus is that it will save you time and effort, as you reduce the number of keystrokes and mouse clicks that you need to use.

Until you are confident of your Office skills, be wary of altering things too much. Perhaps you could concentrate on building your own menus and toolbars without modifying built-in ones. More details about changing the default settings are in the first lesson.