When I am working on my work laptop, I try to maximize my 14" screen space. I experimented with hiding the Ribbon so that it only appears when you move the mouse to the top of the screen, but what I would really like is to move the Ribbon so that I can locate it vertically on either the left or the right of the screen, similarly like what you can do with the Windows taskbar.
Is there a way to do this in Microsoft Office, or is hiding the Ribbon the only option?
Nope. The ribbon stays where it is. Period.