Frequently asked questions about the Office Shortcut bar and Office

This article contains the answers to some frequently asked questions that 2007 Microsoft Office suite users or Microsoft Office 2003 users may have about the Office Shortcut bar.

Q1: You just installed a 2007 Office suite or Office 2003, but you cannot find the Office Shortcut bar. Where is it?

A1: The Office Shortcut bar is not included in 2007 Office suites or in Office 2003.

Q2: If you do not want to use the Windows Start menu, how can you easily start Office programs?

A2: Office 2003 requires Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3), Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows Server 2003. The 2007 Office programs require Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003.These Windows products all provide the Quick Launch toolbar. The Quick Launch toolbar is highly customizable and provides functionality that is similar to the Office Shortcut bar.

For additional information about how to customize the Windows Quick Launch toolbars, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q3: Will the Office Shortcut bar be available as a separate download?

A3: No. There are no plans to make the Office Shortcut bar available as a separate download.

Q4: Can you reinstall your previous version of Microsoft Office to be used with 2007 Office programs or with Office 2003 so that you can use the Office Shortcut bar?

A4: We do not recommend installing multiple version of Office on the same computer. However, this method will work.

For additional information about a known issue with using the Office Shortcut bar from an earlier version of Office with Office 2003, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about running multiple versions of Office with Office 2003, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: