To put the Quick Parts gallery one click away in desktop Word, add the Quick Parts command to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). If the ribbon command offers the option, right-click it and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar. If it does not, use Customize Quick Access Toolbar > More Commands and add Quick Parts from the command list. Once it sits on the QAT, you can open the gallery, insert saved text, and save new entries without going back to the Insert tab each time.
Microsoft’s own material calls the feature “Quick Parts” and refers to its storage area as the “Quick Part Gallery.” Those are the same feature, and this guide uses both names the way Word’s menus do.
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What the Quick Part Gallery holds
The Quick Part Gallery is the built-in store in desktop Word for reusable building blocks. Microsoft’s Quick Parts and AutoText article lists AutoText entries, document properties, and fields among the items it can hold, and you reach the gallery from Insert > Quick Parts. In Word’s ribbon, the Quick Parts button sits in the Text group of the Insert tab. Microsoft Support, “Use Quick Parts and AutoText in Word and Outlook”
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The practical value is repetition. A standard legal clause, a product description, a signature block, or a paragraph you retype every week can be saved once and inserted at the cursor. Putting the Quick Parts command on the QAT removes the step of finding the Insert tab before you reach for it.
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Two ways to add Quick Parts to the QAT
Microsoft’s instructions for the QAT describe two routes. The first is a right-click on the command itself, which is the shorter path when Word offers it. The second is the More Commands route, which works for commands that cannot be right-clicked. Microsoft Support, “Add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar”
| Factor | Right-click route | More Commands route |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | The Quick Parts button on the Insert tab | The QAT drop-down arrow, or Word Options |
| Steps | Two clicks after the right-click | Several dialog steps |
| When to use | The context menu shows Add to Quick Access Toolbar | That option is missing, or you prefer to browse the command list |
| Menu labels | Shown as Microsoft documents them | Labels can differ by Word version and configuration; read the dialog’s own headings |
Route 1: Right-click the Quick Parts command
- Open a document in desktop Word and select the Insert tab.
- In the Text group, right-click Quick Parts.
- Select Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
- Check the QAT. The Quick Parts icon should now appear there.
Route 2: Use More Commands
- Click the arrow at the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, or open the QAT customization menu.
- Select More Commands. Word opens the Customize QAT settings.
- In the command list, find Quick Parts. If the list is long, search or scroll.
- Select Quick Parts and choose Add.
- Confirm with OK. The icon appears on the QAT.
If the right-click menu in your build does not show the add option, use Route 2. Don’t assume the dialog wording matches the screenshots in any article, including this one. Look for the command name rather than a fixed position in the list.
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Confirm the command is visible
The QAT holds commands independently of which ribbon tab is open, so the Quick Parts button stays available when you switch to Home, Layout, or References. Microsoft describes it as “a customizable toolbar containing a set of commands that are independent of the tab that is currently displayed.” Microsoft Support, “Move the Quick Access Toolbar”
If the toolbar is hidden or positioned where you cannot see it, use the QAT display controls covered in that same Microsoft article to show it and place it where you prefer.
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Save a selection as a Quick Part
Adding the button is only half of the workflow. To create an entry, you select the content and save it to the gallery.
- Select the phrase, sentence, or other content to save.
- Choose Insert > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery.
- Enter a name. Add a description if you will need to recognise the entry later.
- Confirm the dialog.
To reuse the entry, place the cursor where the content belongs, open Quick Parts from the QAT or the Insert tab, and select the saved item. Microsoft’s Quick Parts article documents these create and insert steps for the supported desktop versions.
Keep paragraph formatting with the entry
If indentation, alignment, line spacing, or pagination should travel with the content, include the paragraph mark in the selection before you save. Without it, only the text and character formatting are preserved.
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- Insert the existing Quick Part at the cursor.
- Edit the inserted content.
- Select the revised content and save it again to the Quick Part Gallery, using the original name, category, and gallery.
- When Word asks whether to redefine the existing entry, confirm.
Desktop Word and Word for the web
The steps above assume desktop Word. Microsoft’s AutoText article states that AutoText is stored with the Word template, gives Alt+F3 as a creation shortcut, and is not available in the web app. Microsoft Support, “Create reusable text snippets” If you work in Word for the web, open the document in the desktop app to create or insert AutoText entries.
Versions and limits of this guide
Microsoft’s Quick Parts article lists Word for Microsoft 365 and the perpetual releases Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 as applicable. The QAT instructions are Microsoft’s general Office guidance, so the exact menu labels and the availability of the right-click option can differ by build, language, and administrator policy. The procedure is the same in principle across these releases; the wording on your screen is what to follow.
Microsoft’s support material does not quantify the time saved by placing Quick Parts on the QAT. The benefit described here is a shorter path to a command you already use, not a measured productivity figure.
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