Customize the Internet Explorer toolbars
This information applies to Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Internet Explorer 8.
Internet Explorer has several toolbars, including the Menu bar, the Favorites or Links bar, and the Command bar. There is also the Address bar, where you can type a web address, and the status bar, which displays messages such as a webpage's download progress. All of these toolbars can be customized in one way or another.
Show or hide the Internet Explorer toolbars
You can show or hide the Menu bar, Favorites or Links bar, Command bar, and status bar. Here's how:
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button 
, and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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Click the Tools button, point to Toolbars, and then click the toolbar you want to show or hide.
Customize the Command bar
The Command bar is located at the upper-right side of the Internet Explorer window and offers easy access to almost any setting or feature in Internet Explorer. You can customize the Command bar buttons to suit your preferences.
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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In Internet Explorer 8, right-click the Command bar, point to Customize, and then click Add or Remove Commands. In Internet Explorer 7, right-click the Command bar, point to Customize Command Bar, and then click Add or Remove Commands.
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Make one or more of the following changes:
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To add a button, click the button you want to add in the Available toolbar buttons list, and then click Add.
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To remove a button, click the button you want to remove in the Current toolbar buttons list, and then click Remove.
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To change the order in which buttons are displayed, click a button in the Current toolbar buttons list, and then click either Move Up or Move Down.
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To restore the Command bar buttons to their default settings, click Reset.
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When you're done, click Close.
You should see your changes immediately. If you've added a lot of buttons, you might need to resize the Command bar to see them all.
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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In Internet Explorer 8, right-click the Command bar, point to Customize, or in Internet Explorer 7, right-click the Command bar, point to Customize Command Bar, and then do one of the following:
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To display a label on every button, click Show All Text Labels.
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To display a label on some of the buttons, click Show Selective Text.
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To turn off all text, click Show Only Icons.
By default, the Command bar icons are small to allow more room for content in Internet Explorer. If you're using a high-resolution screen, or need a little extra help to see the icons, you can change them to a larger size. Here's how:
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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Do one of the following: .
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In Internet Explorer 8, right-click the Command bar, point to Customize, and then click Use Large Icons.
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In Internet Explorer 7, right-click the Command bar, and then click Use Large Icons.
To make the icons small, follow these steps and click Use Large Icons again.
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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Right-click the Command bar, and then click Lock the Toolbars to clear the check mark from the command (if no check mark appears next to the command, skip this step).
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Drag the Command bar separator
left or right.
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When you're done, right-click the Command bar, and then click Lock the Toolbars.
In Internet Explorer 8, you can move the Command bar from its default position on the tab row to either the Favorites bar or its own row. Moving the Command bar to the Favorites bar can give you room to see more tabs. Moving the Command bar on its own row can make it easier to locate and click Command bar buttons.
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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Right-click the Command bar, and then click Lock the Toolbars to clear the check mark from the command (if no check mark appears next to the command, skip this step).
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Move the Command bar by clicking the Command bar separator
and dragging it from the tab row to the Favorites bar or its own row.
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When you're done, right-click the Command bar, and then click Lock the Toolbars.
Customize the Internet Explorer 8 Favorites bar
The Favorites bar replaces the Links toolbar that appeared in previous versions of Internet Explorer. It provides one-click access to your favorite websites, as well as feeds and Web Slices. For more information on how to add links, feeds, and Web Slices to the Favorites bar, see Customize your Favorites bar.
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To remove a link from the Favorites or Links bar, right-click the link, click Delete, and then click Yes.
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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Right-click the Command bar, and then click Lock the Toolbars to clear the check mark from the command (if no check mark appears next to the command, skip this step).
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Move the Favorites button by clicking the Favorites button separator
and dragging it from the Favorites bar to the tab row.
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When you're done, right-click the Command bar, and then click Lock the Toolbars.
The Refresh and Stop commands share a single button at the end of the Address bar that changes depending on whether the current webpage has loaded or not. If you prefer to have Stop and Refresh as separate buttons, follow these steps:
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Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
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Right-click the Command bar, point to Customize, and then click Show Stop and Refresh Buttons before Address Bar to switch between showing separate Stop and Refresh buttons on the left of the Address bar or showing the combined buttons on the right of the Address bar.
