Besides entering text, selecting text is probably the most common task for many Microsoft Word documents. We select document text to format, copy, move, and delete. Almost every editing and formatting task begins by selecting something, that is, to Select Then Do. The most common way to select or highlight text is to click and drag your mouse across the text. Sometimes this approach creates problems such as the runaway mouse where we lose exact control over the amount of text we want to select in a Word document. Working with Word keyboard shortcuts is often a better solution.
What other keyboard shortcuts and techniques can you use in Word to easily select text, graphics, tables, and other parts of a Word document? Check out your options below or watch my video on handy shortcuts to quickly select text in Word:
Using the Selection Bar in Microsoft Word lets you highlight a line or multiple lines, a paragraph or multiple paragraphs, or the entire document. With this feature, you can edit or format it quickly and easily.
Easy Keyboard Selection Secret
Even better than the [Shift] key is a little-known selection trick with the [F8] function key, which “turns on” a selection mode, so you don’t have to press and hold down the [Shift] key while highlighting it in a Word document.
To use this selection technique, simply:
- Move to the beginning of the area you want to select.
- Press [F8] once.
- Look in the bottom left corner of the Word status bar (across the bottom of the Word window) for Extend Selection; don’t expect anything to flash or pop up.
- Take your time moving to the end of the selection area with your keyboard and/or the mouse. No need to hold down the [Shift] key.
- Perform the action you want to apply to the selected area, such as formatting, cut, copy, etc. The Extend Selection mode turns off as soon as you do an action. Just move anywhere to clear the highlight. What if you change your mind and you want to turn off the Extend Selection without continuing? Just press [Esc] to cancel. Move anywhere to clear the highlight.
A selection bar is an invisible narrow strip that runs along the left edge of a Microsoft Word document window, according to The University of Texas at Austin. It is used when selecting a line of text, a paragraph or an entire document.
When the mouse pointer is placed in the selection bar, it turns into a right-pointing arrow. Clicking the left mouse button while the pointer is in the selection bar selects the line to the right of the pointer. Multiple lines can be selected by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the pointer. Double clicking in the selection bar selects the entire paragraph, while triple clicking selects the entire document. ADVERTISEMENT
[3 Ways] Word Selection is Locked? How to Unlock Selection in Microsoft Word✔ 2024
FAQ
What is the selection bar used for?
|
Mouse Action
|
Selection
|
|
Double-click in Selection Bar
|
Select paragraph
|
|
Double-click on a word
|
Select word
|
|
Triple-click in a paragraph
|
Select paragraph
|
|
Triple-click in the Selection Bar
|
Select entire document
|
What is the use of selecting text?
What is the invisible selection bar?
How do I use the selection bar?
To locate the selection bar area, move your mouse to the left of the text until it changes from an upper case “I” to a white arrow. Selection tricks to try with the selection bar: Click once to highlight an entire line. Click and drag to select multiple lines. Double-click to select the whole paragraph.
What is a selection bar in word?
The selection bar is a vertical bar that appears on the left side of the document, allowing you to easily select entire lines or paragraphs. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use this method: Position the cursor in the selection bar next to the selected line.
What does a selection bar look like?
Along the left margin is a narrow, invisible strip known as the Selection Bar. When your mouse pointer hovers over the header, footer, text body, and right margin, it looks like the capital letter “I” as shown here. But when you hover the mouse pointer over the left margin, it changes to an “Arrow” image.
How does the selection pane work?
The Selection pane displays the name of each inserted object with the numbered order each was inserted. For objects that overlap, the display shows the top object as the top in the list. Note: In Word, inline objects are listed in the Selection Pane, but you can’t reorder them, hide them, or multi-select them.