AutoCAD - Undocking the “Ribbon” Menu

By Martin Phelps 

The “Ribbon” menu is not to everyone’s liking, but personally I find it a useful method to access commands since the top of the working area becomes the point of focus. All users have their own preferences and way of working, for example some users prefer to revert to the “Classic” type appearance, claiming the “Ribbon” takes up too much screen space.

A half way option may be to “Undock” the “Ribbon” and locate it to either the left or the right of the screen.

To “Undock” the “Ribbon” right mouse click on the space to the right of the “Tabs” from the menu select “Undock”, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

The “Ribbon” can now be “Docked” to the left, right of the screen or remain as a floating tool bar, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2.

The “Panels” that make up the “Tabs” can also be dragged into the drawing area giving the impression of large “Toolbars”, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3.

The “Ribbon” can always be “Docked” back into its original position and the “Panels” added back to the relevant tab.