How to customize toolbars and menus in Outlook 2002 and in Outlook 2003

This article provides an overview of the basic procedures used to customize menus and toolbars in Microsoft Outlook.

NOTE: Default shortcut keys will only hold changes to them for the current Outlook session. when you restart Outlook, shortcut key names will revert to their original default state. Only custom menu items can have their shortcut keynames changed permanently.

The procedures outlined below include the following topics:

• Adding a Button to a Toolbar
• Adding a Custom Menu to a Toolbar
• Adding a Command to the Custom Menu
• Adding a Command to an Existing Menu
• Associating a Shortcut Key with a Custom Command

About Customizing Toolbars

Menus, commands on the menus, and toolbar buttons are specific to the view that is currently displayed; to ensure that you are modifying the correct command, you may need to display a different folder.

For example, if you want to add a button to execute the Task Request command, and you add the button while viewing the Task folder, that command will only be available in that folder.

Customizing Toolbars and Menus

The following customizations require that the Customize dialog box be open to activate the toolbar and menu customization functions. To open the Customize dialog box, point to Toolbars on the View menu, and then click Customize. A bold I-beam mouse pointer shows insertion positions on the toolbars and menus.

Adding a Button to a Toolbar

1. On the Commands tab, in the Categories list, click to select the category for the command you want to add.
2. Drag the command you want from the Commands list to the toolbar.

Adding a Custom Menu to a Toolbar

1. In the Categories list, click New Menu.
2. Drag New Menu from the Commands list to the toolbar.
3. Right-click the new menu on the toolbar and on the shortcut menu, type a name in the Name box, and then press ENTER.

Adding a Command to the Custom Menu

1. Click the Custom menu on the toolbar to display an empty box.
2. In the Categories list, click the category for the command box.
3. Drag the command from the Commands box to the empty box in the Custom menu.

Adding a Command to an Existing Menu

1. In the Categories list, click the category for the command you want to add.
2. Drag the command you want from the Commands box over the menu on the toolbar. When the menu drops to display a list of menu commands, point to the location where you want the command to appear on the menu, and then release the mouse button.

Associating a Shortcut Key with a Custom Command

To associate a shortcut key with a custom command, Add an ampersand (&) before the letter in the name that you want to be the shortcut key. For example, if you want the shortcut key for My Command to be ALT+Y, type M&y Command in the Name box.

A line under a letter in a command name indicates that the letter is a shortcut key. Make sure you select a key combination that is not already being used.