Adding an Equal Sign Tool

Are you upgrading from an older version of Excel to Excel 2007? If your old version is old enough (Excel 97 or Excel 2000), you may notice a change in the tools around the Formula bar. In your old version there may have been an equal sign tool next to the Formula bar that you could click instead of having to enter the equal sign. Clicking the equal sign tool would also add an equal sign in front of whatever was already in the cell, without deleting the cell contents.

You won't find this equal sign tool in Excel 2007. In fact, it was done away with beginning with Excel 2002. You can, if you desire, add an equal sign tool to the Quick Access toolbar. (You can't add it to the Formula bar itself, as in your old version of Excel.) Follow these steps:

1. Click the Office button, then click Excel Options. Excel displays the Excel Options dialog box.
2. Click the Customize option at the left side of the dialog box.
3. Using the Choose Commands From drop-down list, choose Commands Not In The Ribbon.
4. Scroll through the Commands list to find the equal sign tool.
5. Click Add. The tool is moved to the right side of the dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
6. Click OK to close the Excel Options dialog box. The tool now appears in the Quick Access Toolbar.

The equal sign tool can be used to enter an equal sign at the beginning of the Formula bar. It doesn't completely function like the old tool, as it won't add an equal sign to the beginning of the existing cell contents, and you can't place the tool right next to the Formula bar.