Excel2013 Entire Toolbar Ribbon is missing

[jfarc]

A client of mine just replaced her old PC with one with Windows7 & then she purchased at Best Buy & downloaded Excel2013. First time I'm looking at this version.

Very strange. When we open up a blank instance of Excel and/or from this already open Excel window and then open a previously created Excel workbook, then everything appears fine.

But, if we simply attempt to open a previously saved Excel workbook without already having Excel open(from the Windows Explorer folder menu for example), then the entire Excel toolbar/ribbon (everything above the Formulas bar) is missing. There is a blank white space(1.5 inches) as if it were there, but nothing is there. Even the (-) Minimize and (X) Close buttons usually up at the top right are missing. Nothing on the left side where the Excel button should be either. We can click everywhere in this blank area and nothing happens

Also, no keyboard shortcuts work when the toolbar is blank. (Alt-T O) for example to open the Options window.

This missing toolbar happens during all the following ways when an Excel workbook is opened(as long is there is not an already open instance of Excel):

From Windows Explorer - open a previously created/saved workbook.
From the Recent Files menu
All previously created/saved versions of Excel workbooks - .xlsx / .xls / .csv / .txt / etc, etc.
An .xlsx workbook newly created with this version of Excel2013 and saved for the first time and then re-opened
Excel workbooks with or without Macros
An Excel workbook opened from a script inside another routine(from VBA Reflection) for example.

Did a Google search and found nothing. Any ideas?

 

[jfarc]

Finally had to do the 'Start / Control Panel / Programs / Repair' and repair Excel and it resolved the missing toolbar issue.

 

[Andrew Williams]

I am also getting this problem when opening an excel spreadsheet from within Access using VBA code. Did you find some kind of solution ?

 

[jfarc]

Andrew, yes I resolved my issue and it hasn't happened since:

Finally had to do the 'Start / Control Panel / Programs / Repair' and repair Excel and it resolved the missing toolbar issue.

 

[Jimbo411]

I have the same problem and can't seem to find any information on it. Have you managed to find a solution. My problem is intermittent and when it happens I need to open up another spreadsheet then the ribbon appears. It only seems to happen when I use an auto_open macro.

 

[jfarc]

I have the same problem and can't seem to find any information on it. Have you managed to find a solution. My problem is intermittent and when it happens I need to open up another spreadsheet then the ribbon appears. It only seems to happen when I use an auto_open macro.

I assume you wrote this before you read Post #2 & #4 above.

 

[Jimbo411]

I assume you wrote this before you read Post #2 & #4 above.

I read the quote but didn't think it related to the problem. However, I did carry out the repair but the problem re-appeared today.

 

[jfarc]

I read the quote but didn't think it related to the problem. However, I did carry out the repair but the problem re-appeared today.

Sorry Jimbo411, as soon as we did the fix from post#2, this problem hasn't happened since in our case. Possibly a full re-load of Excel is in order?

 

[Jimbo411]

Sorry Jimbo411, as soon as we did the fix from post#2, this problem hasn't happened since in our case. Possibly a full re-load of Excel is in order?

Thanks for the quick response. It's an irritation more than anything and not worth a re-install. It's only happened on 2013 and I'd hoped Microsoft had picked it up and fixed it but hey ho, we live in hopes! I had enough hassle with the repair. The repair went through ok but Microsoft in their wisdom decided I needed to re-validate the product and wouldn't let me in to any of the office applications and consequently couldn't retreive a lost password from my email. Laugh!

 

[jfarc]

Yeah, I tell ya, I'm having other little quirky(stupid) issues with Excel2013. Again in their infinite wisdom, MS decided on any time a macro is run to automatically minimize the entire Excel window. Sometimes a routine may take 30-45secs to complete and now since the end user doesn't see anything, they start worrying nothing is happening.

Also, when they go to open up an existing workbook, it usually doesn't pop right open, it stays hidden in the startbar below. It sometimes takes a dozen left clicks on the Excel button in the startbar to get the already open(but hidden) workbook to appear in a normal visible window.