<P> Microsoft applications implementing ribbons each have a different set of tabs which house user controls for that application . Within each tab, various related controls may be grouped together . Double - clicking the active tab or clicking the "Minimize" button hides the command panel, leaving only the tabs visible . Repeating this action reveals the pane . The ribbon consolidates the functionality previously found in menus, toolbars and occasionally task panes into one area . </P> <P> In Microsoft Office 2007, only Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint implemented ribbons . With the release of Microsoft Office 2010, however, ribbons were implemented in the rest of the Microsoft Office applications . Microsoft Office 2010 added additional end - user customization support to its user interface . </P> <P> Microsoft gradually implemented ribbons in other software . The fourth wave of Windows Live Essentials applications, including Mail, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker and Writer, featured a ribbon . On Windows 7, Paint and WordPad feature ribbons . On Windows 8, File Explorer followed suit . Ribbons also appeared in SQL Server Report Builder, Dynamics CRM 2011, Microsoft WebMatrix, Microsoft Mathematics v4. 0, Microsoft EMET 4.0 and Microsoft Message Analyzer . Internet Explorer, Notepad and Visual Studio, however, do not have a ribbon . </P> <P> Since the introduction of ribbons in Microsoft Office 2007, there has been an increase in the use of this type of interface in applications created by other developers, especially those creating tools for Microsoft - related products . Microsoft facilitated the adoption with the releases of Windows 8, Windows 7 and the Windows Vista platform update, which included built - in ribbon framework APIs, introduced to allow developers to integrate a ribbon toolbar into their applications . The Nielsen Norman Group published some examples in a 2008 GUI showcase report . </P>

The ribbon has exactly the same tabs buttons and features in every microsoft office program