Microsoft has introduced a new ‘start page’ that opens up by clicking the button in the top left corner of Office 2010. According to Rafael, it’s know by its codename which is ‘Outspace’ so far. It provides quick access to various tasks in a very clean and simple manner although can be confusing for those used to the Office 2007 button behavior which showed an upside down ‘start menu’ when clicked. Rafael has found a way to switch this behavior back to the 2007 style in Office 2010. Here’s how:
- Open up the registry
- Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Common\Toolbars
- Create a DWORD value named UseOutspace and put the value 0 to disable it ( or 1 to enable it ).
Note: Remember to back up your registry before messing with it!
If you don’t want to mess with the registry, here’s an easier way. Download either of the following registry files, depending on whether you want to turn Outspace on or off, and run it. Bypass any dialogue boxes that pop up by clicking Yes.
Disable Outspace
Enable Outspace
The Office button will appear in half which is a bug that should be fixed in the newer builds of Office 2010. Also, clicking on New will take you to the Outspace page again.
