How to Add Microsoft Office Shortcuts to the Start Menu in Windows 7

A Microsoft Office program shortcut may sometimes be missing from the “Microsoft Office” folder of the Windows Start Menu's “All Programs” section. Adding a Microsoft Office program shortcut back to this folder involves the following two main steps.

Step 1: Create desired Microsoft Office program shortcut

1. Navigate to Windows Start Menu > “Computer” (in Windows 10, click "File Explorer" > "This PC"). A window opens.
2. Under “Hard Disk Drives” (in Windows 10, "Devices and drives"), click “OSDisk (C:).”
3. Navigate to “Program Files (x86)” > “Microsoft Office” > “Office16.” This folder has files for all of the Microsoft Office programs. Files are labeled NAME.EXE (where NAME is an abbreviation of the specific program).
4. Find, but do not click, the desired file. The following are the specific file names for Microsoft Office programs:
   • Word: WINWORD.EXE
   • PowerPoint: POWERPNT.EXE
   • Excel: EXCEL.EXE
   • Publisher: MSPUB.EXE
   • OneNote: ONENOTE.EXE
5. Right click the file for the program. A pop-up menu appears.
6. From the pop-up menu, click “Create shortcut.” A message window appears asking you if you want to place the shortcut on the desktop.
7. Click [Yes].

Step 2: Add desired Microsoft Office program shortcut to "All Programs"

1. Click the Windows Start icon.
2. Right click “All Programs.” A pop-up menu appears.
3. From the pop-up menu, click “Open All Users.” A window opens.
4. Navigate to “Programs” > “Microsoft Office.”
5. From your desktop, click and drag the shortcut you created in step 1 into the open folder.
6. When a window says you will need administrator permission, click “Continue.” The User Account Control window opens.
7. Type the administrator password for the computer, which for a Cedarville office is the six-digit number under the barcode sticker on the computer (not the monitor).
8. Click [Yes]. The program shortcut will move into the folder.
9. In the folder, alt-click the program shortcut you just moved to rename it. You will be prompted to provide an administrator password again, so use the same one as in step 7.