Users running the latest version of Microsoft Office 365 probably have noticed the large search box at the top of applications. The search box sits at the title bar, next to the document name.
The new Office search box is just like the search box on the Windows 10 taskbar.
As the name makes it abundantly clear, the search box lets you quickly access all the tools and options offered by the Office application. The feature is extremely handy as it makes it possible to access a command or option, even if you are not sure where it’s located is.
For instance, in Office Word, you can quickly add a table, change page orientation, or access formatting options. Besides that, a click on the search box displays recently used actions or commands.
With the new search box, users using Office with a work or school account will be able to find files and people in their organizations.
The search box, which can also be accessed using Alt + Q keyboard shortcut, can also be used to find more information about a word or text in your file. In short, the search box makes it easier to access all commands and features in Office applications with just a click or keyboard shortcut. It saves a lot of time while editing documents.
That said, you might find the search box taking up a large amount of space. Because it takes up a considerable amount of space, Office application might hide a portion of the document title if it’s long. If that’s the case, you can configure the Microsoft Office application to hide the search box and replace it with a small search icon.
Enable or disable the search box in Office 365 applications
The given below directions help you enable or disable the search box at the title bar of Office 365 applications.
Note that clicking on the search icon or pressing Alt + Q keys will reveal the search box even after following the given below directions.
Step 1: Click the File menu and then click Options to open the respective application’s Options dialog.
Step 2: Make sure that the default General tab is selected in the left pane. On the right side, look for Collapse the Microsoft Search box by default option. Select the checkbox next to it to hide the search box and display a small search icon in its place instead.
To enable it, uncheck the checkbox. Click the OK button to show or hide the search box. That’s it! The change should be visible right away.