Why did Microsoft remove the menus from Internet Explorer 7?

Microsoft removed the File, Edit, View, etc. menu bar from Internet Explorer 7 in an effort to streamline the interface and make it easier for users to navigate by clicking. However, the menu is not gone - we will tell you how to get it back!

There are two ways to restore your trusty old menu in IE7. A temporary way is to simply press and release an ALT key, all by itself. This will make the menu bar appear, until a menu item is selected. Then, the menu bar will hide itself again to give you more viewing area in the browser window.

For a more permanent solution, find an empty area next to the row of window tabs, and right click in that empty area. A popup menu should appear with several options. One is "Menu Bar" which is not checked. Simply click that item to check it, and the menu bar will be permanently visible again.

February 2008

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