Double-Click a Tab to Shrink Microsoft Office’s Ribbon Toolbar

Back when Microsoft 2007 made its debut, and cries about the thick (if potentially useful) “ribbon” interface arose, we shared a tip on minimizing the ribbon with a right-click. In newer versions, you can double-click your current tab, or press Ctrl+F1 on your keyboard to shrink down the ribbon to a minimalist strip. There’s also a small downward-facing arrow on the title bar you can click with your mouse. Update: Our readers note that this trick works on most “ribboned” Microsoft apps, including Wordpad.