Step-by-Step Guide: Create a Favorites Tab in Visio 2010 Ribbon

Speed Up Workflow: Custom Favorites Tab for Visio 2010 RibbonMicrosoft Visio 2010 remains a powerful diagramming tool for architects, engineers, business analysts, and project managers. One of its strengths is the customizable Ribbon interface, which lets you aggregate frequently used commands into a single, easily accessible location. Creating a custom “Favorites” tab can dramatically reduce mouse travel, speed up repetitive tasks, and make your workspace feel tailored to the way you actually work. This article walks through why you might create a Favorites tab, what to include, step-by-step instructions to build it, tips for organizing commands, examples of useful command groupings, exporting and sharing your customization, troubleshooting common issues, and maintenance best practices.

Why create a Favorites tab?

• Reduce friction: instead of hunting through multiple tabs or right-click menus, your most-used commands are always visible.
• Save time: repetitive actions become one-click operations, lowering task completion time.
• Consistency: a Favorites tab standardizes routine workflows across projects or team members.
• Personalization: adapt Visio to your role—CAD-like users, business-modelers, or UI designers will each choose different tools.

What to include in a Favorites tab

Prioritize commands that you use frequently and that are not conveniently located on other tabs. Examples:

• Clipboard actions: Cut, Copy, Paste (including Paste Special)
• Shape tools: Connector, Text Block, Shape Data
• Alignment and distribution: Align Left/Center/Right, Distribute Horizontally/Vertically
• Arrange: Bring to Front, Send to Back, Group, Ungroup
• Quick formatting: Fill Color, Line Color, Line Weight, Shape Styles
• Page and view controls: Zoom In/Out, Fit to Window, Pan, Page Setup
• Insert frequently used stencils or shapes (via commands that open those stencils)
• Macros or custom commands you rely on

Choose 8–20 commands so the tab is useful without becoming cluttered.

Step-by-step: creating a Favorites tab in Visio 2010

1. Open Visio 2010.
2. Right-click anywhere on the Ribbon and select “Customize the Ribbon…” This opens the Visio Options dialog at the Customize Ribbon section.
3. In the right pane (Customize the Ribbon), click the “New Tab” button. Visio will add a new tab named “New Tab (Custom)” with a default group named “New Group (Custom)”.
4. Rename the tab and group:
   • Select “New Tab (Custom)”, click “Rename…”, and enter “Favorites” (or another preferred name).
   • Select “New Group (Custom)” under your new tab, click “Rename…”, and give it a descriptive name like “Quick Tools”.
5. Add commands:
   • In the left pane, choose commands from the “Choose commands from:” dropdown (Popular Commands, All Commands, Macros, or Commands Not in the Ribbon).
   • Select a command in the left pane, then click “Add >>” to place it into the selected group on your Favorites tab.
   • Repeat until you’ve added all desired commands. To create sub-groups, click “New Group” inside the tab and rename it for logical grouping (e.g., Formatting, Arrange, View).
6. Reorder items:
   • Use the up/down arrows on the right to reorder groups or commands within groups for the most ergonomic layout.
7. Add separators:
   • If you want visual separation, add multiple groups rather than empty separators; groups create natural breaks.
8. Click “OK” to save and close. Your new Favorites tab will appear on the Ribbon.

Advanced: adding macros and custom commands

• To add a macro:
  • Create or record a macro first (Developer tab → Record Macro or Visual Basic Editor to write one).
  • In Customize the Ribbon, set “Choose commands from:” to “Macros”.
  • Add your macro to the Favorites tab and rename/assign an icon.
• To add external commands or third-party add-ins:
  • These will appear under “All Commands” or a specific add-ins category if they expose Ribbon controls. Add them the same way as built-in commands.

Organizing your Favorites tab effectively

• Group by task, not by command type. Example groups: Edit, Arrange, Format, Insert, View, Automation.
• Keep the left-most group for the most frequently used commands (users read left-to-right).
• Limit to commonly used items—avoid duplicating entire existing tabs. The goal is speed, not replication.
• Use clear icons and short group names to reduce visual scanning time.
• If multiple users share a computer, consider creating separate profiles or exporting separate Ribbon customizations per user.

Examples of useful Favorites layouts

1. Minimal diagrammer (focus on drawing):

   • Quick Tools: Connector, Dynamic Connector, Text Block
   • Arrange: Align, Distribute, Group/Ungroup
   • Format: Fill Color, Line Color, Line Weight

2. Documentation specialist (focus on presentation and printing):

   • Quick Tools: Text, Callouts, Hyperlink
   • Page Setup: Size, Orientation, Margins
   • Export: Save As PDF, Export Options, Print Setup

3. Automation-heavy user:

   • Quick Tools: Macros (ExportData, CleanShapes)
   • Data: Shape Data, Link Data to Shapes, Refresh Data
   • Troubleshooting: Validation, Developer Tools

Exporting and sharing your Favorites tab

• In the Customize the Ribbon dialog, there’s an “Import/Export” button at the bottom.
• Click “Export all customizations” to save your current Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar settings to a .exportedUI file.
• Share that file with colleagues who can import it via “Import customization file…” This is the easiest way to standardize a Favorites tab across a team.

Troubleshooting common issues

• Favorites tab missing after update or profile change:
  • Re-import your .exportedUI file or recreate the tab. Check that you saved customizations after creating them.
• Commands greyed out:
  • Some commands are context-sensitive and only enabled when an appropriate object or view is active (e.g., alignment tools need shapes selected).
• Macros not visible:
  • Ensure macros are in a module accessible to Visio (not in a document-level project that isn’t open) and that macro security settings allow them to run.

Maintenance and best practices

• Review your Favorites tab every 3–6 months and remove commands you no longer use.
• Use versioned exportedUI files (e.g., Favorites_v1.exportedUI) so you can revert to prior layouts.
• Document the purpose of macros and custom commands that live on the Favorites tab so teammates understand them.
• Keep backups of exportedUI files with your other Visio templates and settings.

Creating a custom Favorites tab in Visio 2010 is a small investment that yields continuous time savings. By grouping your most-used commands, adding macros, and sharing a standardized layout, you can streamline workflows, reduce friction, and make repetitive diagramming tasks feel less like work and more like smooth, focused flow.