Working with menus
Published: September 7, 2006
Windows uses menus to group a collection of related actions under a single heading. Most applications have menus. For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer has the menus File, Edit, and Help at the top of the window. Clicking a menu displays the commands that are available for a particular type of activity, such as working with files or editing documents.
In addition to the menus you'll find in your software programs, Microsoft Windows XP has the Start menu, which you open by clicking the Start button in the lower-left corner of your computer screen. When you do, Windows displays a menu of programs and actions.
Like many other menus, the Start menu contains submenus. Submenus display a small arrow, pointing right, that indicates they can be expanded. To expand a submenu, click the arrow. For example, on the Start menu, you can click to expand the All Programs or My Recent Documents submenus.
The Start menu has multiple levels of submenus. For example, to start Windows Media Player, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment, and then click Windows Media Player.
Some menus contain many items, and viewing them all might make it hard to quickly find the menu item you need. Windows hides infrequently used items to make it easier for you to find the menu items you use the most. You will know there are hidden menu items when you see a downward-pointing double arrow at the bottom of a menu.
If you don't see the menu item you're looking for, click the double arrow to expand the menu and show the hidden menu items. Because Windows adapts to how you use your computer, the menu items you use most will be automatically displayed in the future. So the next time you open the menu, you might not need to expand it.
In Microsoft Office programs, you can set menus to always display all commands.
To always display all commands when you click a menu in any Office program
1. | Open an Office program. |
2. | Click the Tools menu, and then click Customize. 
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3. | On the Options tab, select the Always show full menus check box. 
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4. | Click Close. 
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You can also open menus by right-clicking almost any object. For example, if you right-click My Computer, you will see a list of actions that relate to your computer.
Tip: If you're ever unsure how to do something, try right-clicking. The shortcut menu that appears may provide you with the answer you need.
You may even want to customize some aspects of the default Windows behavior. You can:
