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PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
Where have my Excel cell styles gone?
Q I had Excel 365 set up to my liking, but a recent Microsoft update has messed things up. Previously, within my ribbon, I had a visible panel showing six cell styles – any one of which I could apply with a single click. These have now disappeared and been replaced by a Cell Styles button. Clicking this opens a dropdown menu, from where I can choose the style I want.
However, this is more work than before. I wonder if Microsoft changed the original layout due to lack of space in the ribbon? I tried to remove items from the ribbon, some of which I don’t use, but without success. If I could remove, say, Conditional Formatting and ‘Format as Table’, would the space released enable me to move in my six favourite cell styles? Any advice in your excellent magazine will be appreciated.
Chris Parker
A There a couple of things in play here. First, it’s true that Excel 365 is now just one of countless apps that are subject to ‘continuous development’, meaning it’s never finished and features come and go according to Microsoft’s schedule. However, we don’t think this has anything to do with the disappearance of the cell styles panel – at least, not directly. Instead, the ribbon has always adjusted itself to fit the space available, with some elements ‘shrinking’ down to buttons (like the Cell Styles icon you’re now seeing) or even disappearing altogether.
So, we wonder if you’ve changed your PC’s screen, or otherwise resized the Excel window? Alternatively, perhaps you’ve increased the size of apps and text in Windows Settings? Any of these changes, even if only a small tweak, could result in insufficient space for the ribbon to display everything it didchange you made, if possible, should see your ribbon return to how it was before.
