Displaying the Developer Tab

The user interface in Word 2007 can be confusing, especially to those who have long used the interface of previous versions of Word. The new interface uses a "ribbon" type of interface, visible at the top of the screen. The ribbon is made up of different tabs, each of which contains a collection of related tools. The tabs that are visible often depend on what you are doing in Word at the moment.

One tab that is especially necessary for advanced users is the Developer tab. This tab contains a variety of tools that allow you to "develop" and customize Word. Of particular importance is the fact that the Developer tab contains tools that allow you to create and access macros.

The Developer tab is not contextual in nature; it should always be visible on the ribbon. If it is not visible, that means you have not configured Word to display it. To display the tab, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office button and then click Word Options. Word displays the Word Options dialog box.
2. Make sure that Popular is selected at the left side of the dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
3. Ensure the Show Developer Tab in Ribbon check box is selected.
4. Click OK.

The developer tab should now be visible on the ribbon.