There are many ways to select Word text - 15 at least! Susan Harkins shares her favorite selection methods.
Besides entering text, selecting text is probably the most common task for most Word users. Almost every task begins by selecting something. Perhaps that’s why there are so many ways to select text. The following list includes the methods I use. There are more – I left off a few because I’ve listed easier methods. If you have a favorite that I haven’t listed, please share it with us.
Click and drag
Probably the most intuitive and common way to select text is to click and drag the mouse in any direction.
[Shift]+arrow
To move one character or one line at a time, hold down the [Shift] key while pressing the right and left arrow keys and the up and down arrow keys, respectively.
[Shift]+[Home] | [End]
Pressing [Shift] + [Home] selects everything from the insertion point to the left margin in the current line. Similarly, [Shift]+[End] selects everything from the insert point to the last character to the right.
Double-click
To select the current word, double-click it. Word will select to the left and right of the cursor, until it encounters a space character.
Triple-click
A triple-click selects the current paragraph.
Margin+click
To select an entire line, move the cursor into the left margin. When you see the insertion pointer turn into an arrow pointer, click. Doing so will select the current line. You can also press [Home]+[Shift]+[End], but doing so is a bit awkward.
Margin+click and drag
This selection method is similar to the previous one. If you drag while holding down the mouse, Word will select multiple lines, even paragraphs. Word will stop selecting when you stop dragging.
[Ctrl]+a
Pressing [Ctrl]+a selects the entire document.
[Ctrl]+click
To select a sentence (not just a line), hold down [Ctrl] and click any place within the sentence.
Click+[Shift]+click
To select a block of text, click at one end of the block. Then, hold down the [Shift] key and click a second time at the opposite end of the block.
[Alt]+drag
This combination selects a vertical block. While holding down [Alt], click and drag up or down. (You must press [Alt] first.)
Selection+[Ctrl]+selection
To select two noncontiguous blocks of text, select the first bit of text. Then, hold down [Ctrl] while you select the next, and the next, and the next – use it to select two or several non-contiguous areas. (I probably use this one more than any other besides click and drag – it’s great for applying the same format to several spots.)
[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Right arrow] | [Left arrow]
Use this combination to select from the current position to the right or left of the current word, depending on whether you press the right or left arrow, respectively.
[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Up arrow] | [Down arrow]
This combination selects from the current position to the beginning or ending of the current paragraph, depending on whether you press the up or down arrow, respectively.
[Alt]+[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Page Up] | [Page Down]
This is another awkward keystroke combination that selects from the current insertion point to the beginning or the ending of the current window (what you see on the screen), respectively. This one’s awkward enough that I’d probably use a quick click and drag instead.
Quickly Select Text in Word Documents Using a Mouse or Keyboard Shortcuts
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated May 17, 2021
Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or 365 (Windows)
You can use several keyboard or mouse shortcuts in Microsoft Word to select characters, words, lines, paragraphs and blocks of text in your documents.
Recommended article: 10 Microsoft Word Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for Selecting in Tables
Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses >
1. Select an entire document
Click in the document and then press Ctrl + A to select the entire document.
2. Select a word
To select a word, double-click the word.
3. Select a sentence
To select a sentence, Ctrl + click in the sentence.
4. Select a line using the invisible selection bar
To select a line using the invisible selection bar, move the pointer into the area to the left of the line and click (the pointer should turn into a right-pointing arrow).
5. Select a paragraph
To select a paragraph, triple-click in the paragraph.
6. Select a paragraph using the invisible selection bar
To select a paragraph using the invisible selection bar, move the pointer into the area to the left of the paragraph and double-click (the pointer should turn into a right-pointing arrow).
7. Select from the cursor to the end or beginning of the line
Press Shift + End to select from the cursor to the end of the line. If you press Shift + Home, Word will select from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
8. Select by word using arrow keys
To select by word, position the cursor where you want to start the selection and then press Ctrl + Shift + right arrow or Ctrl + Shift + left arrow.
9. Select by line using arrow keys
To select by line, position the cursor where you want to start the selection and then press Shift + down arrow or Shift + up arrow.
10. Select by paragraph using arrow keys
To select by paragraph, position the cursor where you want to start the selection and then press Ctrl + Shift + down arrow or Ctrl + Shift + up arrow.
11. Select by character using arrow keys
To select by character, position the cursor where you want to start the selection and then press Shift + right arrow or Shift + left arrow.
12. Select blocks of text by Shift-clicking
To select text blocks, position the cursor where you want to start the selection and then move or scroll to the location where you want to end the selection and Shift-click.
13. Select by screen
To select by screen, position the cursor where you want to start the selection and then press Ctrl + Shift + PgUp or Ctrl + Shift + PgDown.
14. Select vertically
To select vertically in a document, press Alt and drag up or down.
You can save lots of time in Word using shortcuts for selecting text.
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