Microsoft Office

Every issue, all time, most people first

1. Ribbon hides too many commands, making features hard to findUnreviewed

   60 people since 2010, in 17 different years · 4 this year

   20082026
   • Has to search for ribbon items every time to find commands2026-03-03
   • Experienced users find the Ribbon slower to navigate than the old menus2026-03-01
   • Ribbon-style interface is horrid compared to traditional menus2026-02-22
   Something wrong here?

2. Removed little-used menu items break muscle memoryUnreviewed

   30 people since 2009, in 14 different years · 1 this year

   20082026
   • Moving menu entries around forces users to search instead of building muscle memory2026-02-22
   • Organized menus replaced by icons, breaking muscle memory and discoverable shortcuts2024-01-25
   • Menus keep changing so learned steps and outdated tutorials no longer match what's on screen2023-10-16
   Something wrong here?

3. OneDrive is the default save location and can't be changedUnreviewed

   21 people since 2016, in 10 different years · 3 this year

   20082026
   • Saves to OneDrive by default, and the save location setting does not stick, making files hard to find2026-04-10
   • Saves to OneDrive by default and users can't find or permanently change it2026-04-10
   • Save As dialog steers users toward OneDrive, interrupting their flow2026-01-07
   Something wrong here?

4. Can't find commands and must rely on searchUnreviewed

   18 people since 2011, in 10 different years · 1 this year

   20082026
   • Hard to find commands; must scan up, down and across tabs2026-03-01
   • Makes it harder to remember where buttons and functions are located2025-05-25
   • Users hunt for commands, can't find them where expected, and resort to web searches2025-05-01
   Something wrong here?

5. Full-screen File menu needs an extra click to save or openUnreviewed

   12 people since 2009, in 8 different years · 2 this year

   20082026
   • Full-screen file menu pushes saving to the cloud instead of simple save dialog2026-03-25
   • Users struggle to find the open button on the ribbon2026-03-24
   • Full-screen file menu is hostile and hard to get back from2024-01-09
   Something wrong here?

6. Features are hard to find in menus and hotkeys are hiddenUnreviewed

   12 people since 2011, in 8 different years · 1 this year

   20082026
   • Harder to find less common features when needed2026-02-04
   • Too many menus and buttons; people can't discover features quickly2022-11-29
   • People get confused by layout changes and need training to find features again2020-11-08
   Something wrong here?

7. Buttons keep moving, so users must search for them againUnreviewed

   11 people since 2011, in 8 different years · 2 this year

   20082026
   • Buttons reordered by frequency make intended actions hard to locate2026-10-05
   • User forgets where the buttons are each time they open it2026-09-26
   • Toolbar buttons keep moving, so users must keep relearning where things are2025-05-01
   Something wrong here?

8. Ribbon uses a third of vertical space and can't be customized per toolbarUnreviewed

   10 people since 2009, in 8 different years · none this year

   20082026
   • Ribbon wastes wide-screen space, showing only about two-thirds of a page at once2024-04-19
   • Ribbon consumes about a third of vertical screen space and can't be customised per toolbar2023-07-12
   • Ribbon toolbar uses large buttons taking as much space, adding clicks and hiding features2021-07-21
   Something wrong here?

9. Some icons hide when the window isn't maximized, making commands hard to findUnreviewed

   9 people since 2011, in 8 different years · 2 this year

   20082026
   • Icons only make sense when looked at closely, so they are hard to recognise2026-01-18
   • Only some menu actions have icons, so others are hard to spot2025-12-09
   • Basic functions are hidden among too many icons, so users must search how to do them2025-05-01
   Something wrong here?

10. PowerPoint steers users toward cluttered presentationsUnreviewed

    7 people since 2015, in 6 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Functionality to make slides look good is unintuitive to find or use2024-06-26
    • PowerPoint is unhelpful for visually precise layout, making precise alignment harder than in Keynote2022-06-29
    • Anything beyond basic text editing on slides is horrible or impossible2021-11-12
    Something wrong here?

11. Save file dialog gets in the way of savingUnreviewed

    6 people since 2013, in 4 different years · 2 this year

    20082026
    • Save dialog is confusing: unclear what it shows, no folder tree, unexplained list2026-06-22
    • Save dialog shows only some folders; reaching another location requires opening a separate browse window2026-03-25
    • Save dialog is confusing, especially for users who don't understand files2026-03-24
    Something wrong here?

12. Hidden menu options are hard to discover and need an extra clickUnreviewed

    5 people since 2011, in 5 different years · 1 this year

    20082026
    • Previously single-click options buried behind tabs and dropdown menus2026-03-03
    • Hidden menu options are hard to discover and need an extra click to reveal2025-02-23
    • Options buried in convoluted menus that vanish after clicking2021-03-10
    Something wrong here?

13. Hidden simplified ribbon is hard to use with a mouseUnreviewed

    5 people since 2012, in 5 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Hard to visually scan the Ribbon; functions hidden in mini-menus; keyboard access slower2025-05-01
    • Ribbon in Word for Windows cannot be hidden, unlike the Mac version2024-01-26
    • Simplified hidden ribbon is terrible for mouse use2023-09-10
    Something wrong here?

14. Constant UI changes make familiar features hard to findUnreviewed

    5 people since 2013, in 5 different years · 2 this year

    20082026
    • Constant UI changes force users to relearn where features are, losing custom toolbar layouts2026-10-23
    • UI elements keep changing shape, place, or visibility, forcing users to relearn the interface2025-12-11
    • UI keeps changing, making it hard to find things it used to have2024-04-07
    Something wrong here?

15. Old main menu was cluttered and features were hard to discoverUnreviewed

    5 people since 2009, in 4 different years · 1 this year

    20082026
    • Later versions feel slow, laggy and have convoluted menus2025-12-31
    • Replaced the familiar hierarchical menus, so Word feels less familiar to users2022-02-08
    • Old main menu was too cluttered and features were hard to discover2022-02-02
    Something wrong here?

16. Unfamiliar icons are slow to scan compared to text menusUnreviewed

    5 people since 2018, in 4 different years · 1 this year

    20082026
    • Icon-only menus make the software basically unusable for people over 602025-12-09
    • Different panels and varied icons make it annoying to scan and find things2023-05-18
    • Hard to scan; mixed icons and labels slow users down when searching for commands2022-12-05
    Something wrong here?

17. Shortcuts are hard to discover without pressing Alt or hoveringUnreviewed

    5 people since 2017, in 3 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Shortcuts differ from Mac and can't easily be discovered2019-10-14
    • Keyboard shortcuts are hidden; users must press a modifier key to see them2019-07-09
    • Shortcuts are hard to discover; users must press Alt or hover to see them2019-07-09
    Something wrong here?

18. Icons change often and taskbar labels were removed, hurting recognitionUnreviewed

    4 people since 2013, in 4 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Office app icons vanished, replaced by a Copilot box, so apps are hard to find2025-10-30
    • Office app icons look so similar that the user accidentally opens the wrong one2025-07-06
    • Icons no longer show what each app is, so newcomers can't quickly find the right tool2020-10-28
    Something wrong here?

19. Toolbar tooltips no longer show keyboard shortcutsUnreviewed

    4 people since 2010, in 4 different years · 1 this year

    20082026
    • Toolbar buttons no longer show keyboard shortcuts in tooltips2026-03-01
    • Toolbar buttons look like flat labels and only reveal they are buttons on hover2025-03-30
    • Toolbar hides buttons unpredictably, so users can't find functions they need2011-07-19
    Something wrong here?

20. Settings split across ribbon and sidebar, so options are hard to findUnreviewed

    4 people since 2012, in 4 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Too many options across many tabs; hard to find the right icon and the layout keeps changing2024-04-05
    • Takes up screen space and makes options hard to locate2021-03-10
    • Settings partly moved to ribbon or sidebar, so users can't find options they need2020-10-09
    Something wrong here?

21. Office and Teams take many seconds to open, making users waitUnreviewed

    4 people since 2021, in 3 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Opening the desktop app is borderline unusably slow2025-07-31
    • Apps like Office and Teams take many seconds to open, making users wait2025-05-01
    • Excel takes so long to open that Google Sheets is faster to start working in2024-08-05
    Something wrong here?

22. Custom menus and sidebar break Windows conventions used by other appsUnreviewed

    4 people since 2010, in 3 different years · 2 this year

    20082026
    • Menu bar looks non-standard and inconsistent with other apps2026-04-13
    • Office's custom menus and sidebar break Windows UI conventions, making them inconsistent with other apps2026-04-12
    • Constant UI redesigns across versions make Office's buttons and File menu hard to find2013-12-06
    Something wrong here?

23. Files must be reopened to see others' editsUnreviewed

    3 people since 2019, in 3 different years · 1 this year

    20082026
    • Page reloads several times and document loads slowly while reflowing before becoming editable2026-07-08
    • Edits get lost and co-editing is slow and sluggish, especially on weak connections2021-06-08
    • Files need reopening to see others' edits, with lag not present in Google2019-06-12
    Something wrong here?

24. Unclear where files are and whether they can be sharedUnreviewed

    3 people since 2019, in 3 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Users get confused about where files are and whether they can share them2024-04-04
    • Editing and sharing files is very confusing and frequently hits permission problems2021-06-26
    • Workers struggle to share files and can't figure out shared folders2019-10-12
    Something wrong here?

25. Too many exposed functions make the interface hard to design for everyoneUnreviewed

    3 people since 2013, in 3 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • So many options and features that people struggle to use basic functions2024-10-01
    • Forced users to relearn most functions after a completely different UI2019-10-26
    • Too many functions exposed in the UI make it hard to design for everyone2013-01-30
    Something wrong here?

26. Can't tell which ribbon tab holds the needed commandUnreviewed

    3 people since 2018, in 3 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Infrequent users must remember which ribbon tab holds each command and its icon2024-02-29
    • Can't intuitively tell which ribbon tab holds the needed command2021-03-11
    • Hard to tell which tab holds a needed command; icons hide their meaning until hovered2018-08-30
    Something wrong here?

27. Common tools like Copy are hidden on other tabsUnreviewed

    3 people since 2016, in 3 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Hard to find things not on the default ribbon, some tabs hidden2020-04-25
    • Frequently used tools like Copy are hidden on other tabs, requiring searching and tab switching2018-08-30
    • Can't remember which tab holds the needed button, so clicks around tabs searching2016-08-03
    Something wrong here?

28. Software is too slow to respond to interactionUnreviewed

    3 people since 2019, in 3 different years · 1 this year

    20082026
    • Microsoft software is obtuse, slow and unintuitive to use2026-10-24
    • Software feels convoluted and hard to use, though people get used to it2020-06-10
    • Software is too slow to interact with, hurting user experience2019-01-23
    Something wrong here?

29. Inconsistent basic UI between Excel and Word makes copying data hardUnreviewed

    3 people since 2018, in 2 different years · none this year

    20082026
    • Switching between Word and Excel documents would require navigating clumsy menus instead of separate windows2019-11-06
    • Users struggled with inconsistent basic UI between Excel and Word, and copying data between them was hard2019-08-29
    • Word and Excel documents are hard to send and receive on Linux, requiring workarounds2018-12-14
    Something wrong here?

This list counts all time; the period switch above only changes the ranking. Each issue is a group of similar complaints raised by at least 3 people in 3 different months and threads. Each line under an issue is Claude Haiku's summary of one of its latest comments, not a quote; follow it to read the comment on Hacker News.