Toolbar

A toolbar is a graphical control element in software applications that provides quick access to a set of frequently used commands. It usually appears as a horizontal row of small icons, sometimes with text labels, and may include separators, dropdowns, and checkable items. Clicking a toolbar control triggers the associated action without opening a menu or dialog.

Toolbars are designed to speed common workflows and reduce menu navigation. They are typically placed near the top of a window, often below the menu bar, and can be docked, floated, or hidden according to user preference. Many applications allow users to customize toolbars by adding, removing, or rearranging controls and by saving different toolbar configurations for different tasks.

Contextual toolbars appear only for particular objects or modes, providing relevant commands when they are most needed. For example, a text editor might show font and formatting tools only when text is selected, while a graphics editor might display drawing or layer controls in a contextual toolbar.

Toolbars differ from menus and ribbons. Menus present a broader set of options, while ribbons group commands into visually distinct tabs. In many GUI toolkits, the standard toolbar widget supports basic actions, icons, text labels, tooltips, and accessibility features. In web and desktop applications, toolbars remain a common pattern for quick, repeated actions, though some interfaces have moved toward ribbons, tabs, or other compact controls.

Design considerations include clear and recognizable icons, informative tooltips, scalable graphics, keyboard accessibility, localization, consistency, and minimal distraction from the primary content.