Bringing the Menus to the Top in IE7

In the IE7 Beta 2 Preview the UI element that hosts menus and 3rd party toolbars is located between the navigation bar and tabs. However, in this release there's a registry key which you can set to move this to the top of the window instead:

 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\WebBrowser]
"ITBar7Position"=dword:00000001

You can also turn off the menu auto-hide functionality by checking Tools -> Toolbars -> Classic Menus from the Command Bar.

Disclaimer: This is not an official feature at this time and may not be available in the future.

One minor request: If you think you want to use this key please try it both ways with your toolbars and menus configured how you like them, especially if you use the Links bar and 3rd party toolbars. Also, yes I'm very aware that some people who previously did heavy toolbar customization in IE6 have concerns about the customizability of IE7. I hope this will help a bit, but if you just came here to flame please make it constructive. That will maximize your chances of getting heard. Ok, that's two requests. :-)

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 31, 2006
  Well, it looks much better with the menu at the top. After all, 20 years of using software has taught me to always look at the very top of the window for the menu - to change that in a seemingling arbitrary way just seemed very strange to me.
  
  But then, it would make much more sense for the custom toolbars to go under the address bar. I mean, why isn't the address bar just like other toolbars were in IE6 that we could move around as well?

• Anonymous
  January 31, 2006
  > I mean, why isn't the address bar just like other toolbars were in IE6 that we could move around as well?
  
  An obvious question, but unfortunately one I can't answer right now. I don't want to put words in other people's mouth or talk about what we may or may not be doing before the final version of IE7 ships.

• Anonymous
  February 01, 2006
  Tony,
  
  The only major request I have in regards to the Links toolbar is this.
  
  I don't mean to bring up an alternative browser but it's just a feature they already have implemented.
  
  I use the "Links" toolbar like no tomorrow. If I did not have it, productivity would be lost, I promise you that. I had so many sites on there that eventually it lead to me having to go back in to my favorites. I found out just recently that IE allowed me to put folders on to the "Links" toolbar which acted like multiple favorites at my disposal. In doing so, though, when I would like to open them up in tabs as a tabbed group, the ability is just not there. Those folders on the “Links” toolbar are treated as a Windows Explorer folder in that it just opens it up in another explorer window.
  
  My request is that if it is even possible at this late in the game, that the feature to both right click on the folder which is located on the “Links” toolbar and have a menu option of opening it up in tabs as a group as well as middle clicking on the folder and having it open up as a group of tabs.
  
  Tony, I hope you hear this message and I truly hope that you can address this. I just want an honest opinion of if this is something that you guys could implement this late in the game or if my petitioning for this is a lost cause lol.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ryan

• Anonymous
  February 01, 2006
  "I mean, why isn't the address bar just like other toolbars were in IE6 that we could move around as well?"
  
  Basically, you have to understand that IE7 on XP is a backport of Vista technologies. That includes the Vista-style Explorer with the navigation/address/search bar on top. It makes a lot more sense on Vista (and looks better too), especially with the Aero Glass effect being applied to that bar.

• Anonymous
  February 13, 2006
  Wow, thank you for this wonderful tip!
  This should be the default layout for IE7 under Windows XP. Millions of people are just used to a menu bar on top under XP. IE under XP is the most used piece of software in the world and therefore has a lot of responsibility for this extremely large user base.
  
  I understand that IE7 might look different under Vista, but IE7 should not use new Vista concepts under XP.
  
  Thank you!
  Roland
  

• Anonymous
  February 16, 2006
  At the very least, there should be the abiltity to drag the address  bar and place it where you want.  As you can in IE6.
  
  Having the look of visat is noce, but maybe when you switch to the "calssic" view, it moves the toolbars back to the IE6 arrangement.

• Anonymous
  February 17, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  February 19, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  February 19, 2006
  Great trick, just what it should look like IMO.
  Now if I could just shorten the width of the address and search bar there would be enough room for the other tool bar up there...Oh well it's good now with the classic menu at the top at least. Thanks for the tip Tony!

• Anonymous
  February 22, 2006
  I love IE Beta 7, but have to add to this convo that I too do not like the address bar at the top of the browser.   I hope that subsequent (and the final) release(s) will allow us to move things around, as we have been able to do so in the past.   I find it abit clumsy as it is now.    

• Anonymous
  February 28, 2006
  I am fine with the idea of updating IE. However the customization for any browser/software should be finalized, by the user.
  If the user wants the toolbar at the bottom, on the side, so be it.  I do not like the idea of anything fixed, let alone IE.
  
  That being said, IE7 still is Beta2. We shall wait till release and bit** later.

• Anonymous
  March 07, 2006
  Has anyone addressed the issue of customizing the toolbar buttons on the bottom right? After I remove any of them (Page, Help, Messenger, Feeds) it stops displaying the last button. And leaves some odd dots. Like a failed attempt to show an unlocked toolbar resizer. Does that make sense?

• Anonymous
  March 26, 2006
  nice

• Anonymous
  August 04, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 08, 2006
  Eddig nem is tudtam, hogy GPO-ból is állítható, íme: Log on to your Windows Professional computer as

• Anonymous
  January 08, 2007
  I switched to Firefox about 8 months ago. That was after using Firefox and IE6 together for a month or