How To Fix Microsoft Word Design Tab Missing
The “Design” tab, true to its name, enables extensive editing and modification of your Word files. From designed templates to a variety of effects, customizable watermarks, and page borders, the Design tab houses these features. If you find that the Design tab is not visible in your Microsoft Word document, you shouldn’t ignore the issue. By following these straightforward solutions, you can quickly restore the Design tab in Microsoft Word.
Fix 1 – Customize the Ribbon in Word
The reason why the Design tab is not showing up in your Word document is that it is hidden from the ribbon.
Step 1 – So, you have to customize the Ribbon to get it back. To do this, go to the “File” menu.
Step 2 – Next, you have to go to the “Options“.
Step 3 – Go to the “Customize Ribbon” on the left pane.
Step 4 – In the right-hand pane, set the ‘Customize the Ribbon’ to “All Tabs” from the drop-down list.
Step 5 – After this, under the same option, check the “Design” tab.
Step 6 – Finally, tap “OK” to save these changes in the Microsoft Word.
This should have closed the Word Options window as well.
You should be seeing the Design tab in Microsoft Word once again.
Fix 2 – View the Ribbon display
There is a slim chance that you are getting the full view of the Word.
Step 1 – To see all the options, just go to any of the headers.
Step 2 – If you can’t view the expanded menu there, double-tap “Home“, “Insert“, “View” or any other menu to view that.
After this, check whether you can see the Design tab or not.
Fix 3 – Use the Print Layout
The Design tab on Microsoft Word can disappear if you are using Read Mode.
Step 1 – Get to the “View” bar in the Word document.
Step 2 – There are several view modes available there. Make sure to tap the “Print Layout“.
Now, the Design tab should be visible to you in Word.
Otherwise, jump to the next solution to fix the issue.
Fix 4 – Update the Word and Microsoft Office programs
Update the Microsoft Word to the latest version from within the app.
Step 1 – In the Microsoft Word document, click the “File” menu.
Step 2 – Further, go to the “Account” tab.
Step 3 – On the opposite side of Word app, go to the “Update Options” and open the “Update Now” option.
Microsoft Word is currently undergoing an update to the latest version. Please be patient and allow the update process to complete.
Once the update is finished, launch Microsoft Word and verify if the Design tab is now visible or not.
Fix 5 – Run a repair operation
If the Design tab is still not visible in Word, consider running the Office troubleshooter.
Ensure that Microsoft Word and any other Office applications are closed before proceeding.
Step 1 – Open the Settings page on your computer. To do that, use the Win+I keys together.
Step 2 – There, go to the “Apps” pane.
Step 3 – From the opposite side of the screen, open up the “Installed apps” setting.
Give it a few seconds. Each and every installed application will appear here.
Step 4 – Search for “office” using the search box at the top region.
Step 5 – When it shows the “Microsoft Office” app there, tap the “⋮” button associated to the app and click “Modify“.
Step 6 – There are two repair methods. Choose the first one, i.e. “Quick Repair“.
Step 7 – Tap “Repair“.
As soon as hit that option, this repairing operation kicks in. It is an offline repair process and take just a few minutes for completion.
Step 8 – When the repairing process is over, it will show up the “Done Repairing!” prompt. Tap “Close” to quit that prompt.
Launch the Microsoft Word and test whether you can view the Design tab or not.
Fix 6 – Open a blank document and test
There is a small chance that this problem is limited only to the current document.
Step 1 – Just hit the “File” option in the menu-bar and go to “New“.
Step 2 – Choose the “Blank document” to load up a new blank document.
After the blank document loads, check to see if you can now locate the Design tab. The issue should be resolved, and you should not encounter the problem again!