Where Excel for Mac Stores Custom Toolbar and Ribbon Settings
Question details
The user is trying to locate where custom toolbar and Ribbon preferences are stored in Excel for Mac to manage, restore, or edit customizations after a software update.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel for Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Modifying advanced Ribbon layouts or troubleshooting lost toolbars following a Microsoft 365 automatic update.
- Observed behavior
- Advanced customizations do not use an obvious standalone preference file, and custom toolbars vanish because legacy edition settings are unsupported in newer builds.
Ensure you know which specific version of Microsoft Excel for Mac you are currently running, as toolbar customizations from legacy editions (like Office 2011) are fundamentally incompatible with modern builds (Office 2016, 2019, and Microsoft 365).
Customize the Ribbon Using Office Open XML (OOXML)
For advanced customizations in modern Excel for Mac, modifications are managed by editing the Office Open XML file structure rather than relying on standard application preference files.
Modern builds of Microsoft 365 and Excel for Mac no longer store complex toolbar settings in a simple PLIST or standalone preference file on your hard drive. Instead, the Ribbon layout is edited manually using Office Open XML (OOXML).
If an application update removed your old settings, you will need to recreate the customization using supported OOXML methods directly inside the workbook or add-in file structure.
Save your Excel workbook (.xlsx or .xlsm) with macros if required, and completely close the Excel application to ensure the file is not locked by the operating system.
Change the file extension of your workbook from .xlsx to .zip. Extract this zip folder to access the underlying XML file structure of your Excel document.
Locate or create the customUI folder and the corresponding XML file inside the extracted directory. Use a dedicated XML or text editor to write your custom Ribbon OOXML syntax.
Compress the extracted folders back into a .zip archive, and rename the file extension back to .xlsx (or .xlsm). Open the file in Excel for Mac to test your newly configured custom toolbar.
Use the Built-in Ribbon & Toolbar Preferences
For standard and lightweight layout changes, Excel for Mac provides a built-in user interface menu to modify existing tabs and commands without the need to edit code.
Need a Simpler Way to Customize Your Workspace? Try WPS Office
If dealing with complex Office Open XML (OOXML) files to restore your toolbars in Excel for Mac seems overwhelming, WPS Office offers a powerful, user-friendly alternative. It provides an intuitive interface that is easy to customize without requiring any coding or XML knowledge.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Get the free WPS Office installer for Mac from the official website and follow the quick installation prompts.
- 2. Open Your Excel Files: Launch WPS Spreadsheets and directly open your existing Microsoft Excel workbooks without needing any file format conversions.
- 3. Personalize Your Toolbars: Use the built-in settings and quick access menu to easily adjust your interface layout in seconds, bypassing the need for complex XML file edits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my custom toolbars disappear after a Mac Excel update?
If you updated to Microsoft 365 or a newer build (such as Office 2016 or 2019) from an older version like Office 2011, your legacy custom toolbars are no longer supported. To restore them, you must recreate the layouts using modern Office Open XML (OOXML) methods or the built-in Ribbon preferences.
Is there a standalone preference file for Excel Mac Ribbon settings?
While basic user customizations might be stored in hidden Mac application support PLIST files, advanced Ribbon configurations in modern versions of Excel for Mac are embedded directly within the workbook or add-in's Office Open XML structure, rather than a single distinct global preference file.
How can I migrate my old Mac Excel toolbars to Microsoft 365?
Unfortunately, direct migration of legacy toolbar preferences from older versions into modern Microsoft 365 for Mac is not supported by Microsoft. The specific layouts and macros must be manually recreated using the updated Ribbon & Toolbar preference menu or by writing custom OOXML code.
