How can reduce wasted vertical space in new Office applications on Windows?

Question

The following screenshot demonstrates how the title bar got much taller from the previous version. With the padding added around the ribbon area, I feel too much vertical space on my laptop's screen is wasted. Is there a setting, hack, trick, or some other way to reduce the amount of vertical space taken by decorations in Office applications.

On this system, Windows Explorer's title bar is 30 pixels tall and menu bar is 24 pixels tall whereas PowerPoint's title bar is 48 pixels tall, its menu bar is 30 pixels tall plus there is the 10 pixel padding between the ribbon and the actual content display.

Is there any way I can take back some of that vertical space?

FYI:

C:\> ver

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19043.1348]

Can't show Office suite version because it looks like Microsoft took away "Help -> About" at some point and I am just noticing it.

Update: I was able to locate the product version under File -> Account -> About PowerPoint: Microsoft® PowerPoint® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2110 Build 16.0.14527.20270) 64-bit

Answer 1

As a direct answer to your question, no, the Layout of the Office apps is fixed and not changeable.

Office is using the new Windows 11 paradigm and I very much see the similarities of the Windows 11 Office and Desktop layout and the Windows 10 Office Layout.

On my small laptop I have to hide the Ribbon until I need it or there is no space in Excel and (it seems to me) less than no space in Outlook. Preview can no longer display a useful portion of the email and it has to be opened.

One thing you can try is the Simplified Ribbon that gives you much more vertical space. I am playing with this.

The first picture is the full ribbon and the second picture is the simplified ribbon and this provides much more space.

..

Answer 2

One thing that might help is to collapse the ribbon.

Right click any blank area of the ribbon and choose to collapse.

That'll turn this:

Into this:

The individual tabs will expand when you click on them, then return to collapsed state when you click away.