Control the size of Excel's sheet tabs via a scrollbar setting

By Susan Harkins , TechRepublic on July 1, 2010

Microsoft Excel

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Control the size of Excel's sheet tabs via a scrollbar setting

Using Windows Display settings, you can customize the Office user interface. It's a simple task and easily undone if you don't like results. I don't use it much, but there is one setting that a few users like--increasing the size of the Scrollbar item enlarges Excel's sheet tabs.
This setting might not make sense at first, but underneath the hood, Excel's sheet tabs are really a scrollbar. As you might expect, this setting also increases the size of all scrollbars so this setting is useful only if you don't mind larger scroll bars all the way around.
To increase the size of Excel's sheet tabs, adjust the Windows Display (Windows XP) setting as follows:

1. From the Windows Start menu, choose Control Panel.
2. Double-click Display.
3. Click the Appearance tab.
4. Click Advanced.
5. From the Item dropdown list, select Scrollbar.
   
6. Increase the setting of the Size option—the following shot shows the setting doubled from the default setting of 20 to 40.
   
7. Click OK twice. It will take a few seconds for Windows to update your system.
   

Just remember that this setting will reach out and touch everything, even Windows Explorer and dialog boxes. (I don't suggest changing these settings if you share your computer with other people--at least not without consulting everyone concerned first.)
What's interesting is the number of interface objects you can control--there are 18. You might spend a little time experimenting; a small change here and there might be useful. I suggest that you note the original setting, just in case you decide to return to the default settings.