Adding Commands to Custom Groups in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows

If you want to really benefit from customizing your Ribbon in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows, then you will certainly want to add some commands beyond the ones that are placed by default within any of the Ribbon tabs. Or maybe you want a particular command available on the Home tab of your Ribbon. Whatever your intent may be, you cannot place any commands within groups that are built within PowerPoint. You first need to add a custom group within any of the tabs available in the Ribbon. Thereafter, you need to populate them with commands.

Follow these steps to learn how to add commands to custom groups:

1. You first need to bring up the PowerPoint Options dialog box, there are two ways to access these options. The easiest way is to right-click anywhere on the Ribbon and then choose the Customize the Ribbon option, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1, below.
2. 
   Figure 1: Customize the Ribbon option
3. Alternatively, access the File menu and choose Options, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 2, below.
4. 
   Figure 2: Options within File menu

PowerPoint Options with a Keyboard Shortcut

Also, if you are a keyboard aficionado, you can quickly press the Alt + F keys together and then press T.


PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

Do you want more keyboard shortcuts?

Explore our PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts and Sequences Ebook that is updated for all PowerPoint versions.

2. Either way, you end up with the PowerPoint Options dialog box, as shown in Figure 3, below. Make sure you choose the Customize Ribbon option within the sidebar. Doing so shows the relevant options on the right side of the PowerPoint Options dialog box, as shown in Figure 3.
3. 
   Figure 3: PowerPoint Options dialog box
4. Now, choose the custom Ribbon tab added, which already contains a new custom Group, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 3, above. As you can see our custom group is bereft of any commands.
3. To add commands within this custom group, make sure you select the custom group first, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 4, below.
4. 
   Figure 4: Custom group selected
4. Next, choose any of the commands you want to add from within the Choose commands from list, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 4, above. Once you select the command, click the Add button, as shown highlighted in green within Figure 4.

Command Categories

In Figure 4, above, you can see that we chose the Popular Commands category within the Choose commands from list. You can click the down arrow within the commands selection area to bring up the Choose commands from drop-down list to find out more command categories, as shown in Figure 5, below.


Figure 5: List of other command categories
5. Doing so will add the selected command within the custom group, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 6, below.
6. 
   Figure 6: Command added within custom group
6. Similarly, continue adding more commands. Figure 7, below, shows more commands have been added to the custom group.
7. 
   Figure 7: More commands added within custom group
7. When done, click the OK button within the PowerPoint Options dialog box to get back to the PowerPoint interface. Figure 8, below, shows all the new commands added within the custom group.
8. 
   Figure 8: Added commands showing on the Ribbon
8. Save your presentation often.