Contextual Tabs
Some tabs only appear when you select something. Click a chart and a Chart Design tab appears from nowhere.
Tabs That Come and Go
Excel hides tabs you do not need. Select a chart and chart tabs appear. Click away and they vanish. Nothing is broken — the tab is waiting for you to select the right thing.
- Select an object — Chart, table or picture
- A new tab appears — Usually on the far right
- Click away — The tab disappears
How to do it
Click a chart ▸ Chart Design and Format tabs appear at the right hand end of the ribbon
If a tutorial mentions a tab you cannot see, you almost certainly have not selected the object yet.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Select first | The object must be selected |
| Far right | New tabs appear at the end |
| Coloured header | Often labelled Chart Tools |
| Click away | The tab hides again |
What Brings Up Which Tab
Select the object ▸ the matching tool tab appears at the right
| Select this | Tab that appears |
|---|---|
| A chart | Chart Design and Format |
| A table | Table Design |
| A picture | Picture Format |
| A shape | Shape Format |
| A PivotTable | PivotTable Analyze and Design |
| A slicer | Slicer |
Result: Select first
No selection means no tab. Click the object before you look for the tab.
Do this
- Select the object before looking for its tab
- Look at the far right end of the ribbon
- Remember the tab hides when you click away
Avoid
- Thinking a feature is missing from your version
- Looking for the tab before selecting anything
- Clicking away and losing the tab mid-task
Practice
- Insert a chart and watch the new tabs appear.
- Click away and watch them disappear.
- Do the same with a picture.
- Your Excel version is too old
- You have not clicked inside the table yet
- The tab has been removed from the ribbon
Show answer
Click inside the table ▸ Table Design appears at the right — Contextual tabs only exist while the matching object is selected.
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