Types of Selection in MS-Word and Short-Cut Keys
Selecting text or objects in a document is one of the essential skill required to use word-processing effectively. I tried to summarize and list the way to make selection for all types of selection techniques here. Check if you know all of these selecting techniques?
Normal Selection (Keyboard)
You can use ‘Navigation Keys’ along with the ‘Shift’ key to perform selection from keyboard.
| Key | Description |
| Shift + Up Arrow | Select one line up |
| Shift + Down Arrow | Select one line down |
| Shift + Left Arrow Key | Select one character left |
| Shift + Right Arrow Key | Slelect one character right |
| Shift + PageUp Key | Select one screen up |
| Shift + PageDown Key | Slect one screen down |
| Shift + Home | Select up to beginning of line from cursor position |
| Shift + End | Select up to end of current line |
| Shift + Ctrl + Up Arrow | Select one previous paragraph |
| Shift + Ctrl + Down Arrow | Select one next paragraph |
| Shift + Ctrl + Left Arrow | Select one word left |
| Shift + Ctrl + Right Arrow | Select one word right |
| Shift + Ctrl + Home | Select up to the beginning of document from current cursor position |
| Shift + Ctrl + End Key | Select up to the end of document from current cursor position |
| Shift + Ctrl + PageUp Key | My MS-Word did not do anything |
| Shift + Ctrl + PageDown Key | My MS-Word did not do anything |
Pretty simple. Yes, the navigation keys with Shift hold down effects the same cursor movement along with selecting.
Normal Selection (Mouse)
When you are working with a document, sometimes, your hands are already placed on keyboard and it is faster if you access those short-cut keys rather than jumping to snatch mouse. (I hope you are not that cat?) But if you are already holding a mouse, it is faster to issue selection command with your mouse itself. Make sure, you know all of the following selection techniques.
| Action | Effect |
| Click | Places cursor on mouse pointer position |
| Double Clicks | Selects a word |
| Triple Clicks | Selects a paragraph |
| Four Clicks | It’s too many clicks, isn’t it? Very difficult to make clicks. |
| Click on Selection bar | Selects a line |
| Double click on selection bar | Selects a paragraph |
| Triple click on selection bar | Selects whole document |
| Click and Drag | Makes selection of area covered by drag operation |
Extended Selection
It might be even for seasoned word-processor users that they have never used ‘Extended Selection’ in MS-Word. Just a simple information can make your life much easier. Do you feel it irritating to hold Shift key when you make selection? There is another way. You can stick that Shift Key by Extended Selection. Following are the techniques:
| Action | Effect |
| F8 | Enables Extended Selection. Press your arrow keys or navigation keys after you press F8. You will find selection even without Shift Key Down. |
| F8 twice | Selects a word |
| F8 three times | Selects a sentence. There is no other short cut way to select a sentence. |
| F8 four times | Selects the paragraph on which cursor is located. |
| F8 five times | Select whole document |
| Esc Key | Turn off Extended Selection |
Rectangular Selection
This is rarely used but most useful. Isn’t it controversial? If you have two column of text aligned with Tab Stops, you can’t drag mouse to select only one text block; nor can you use Shift and Arrow Keys to select as you require. The solution is Rectangular Selection.
To make rectangular selection with mouse, hold the Alt key on keyword and drag your mouse. Surprised? Yes, it is that useful.
To perform rectangular selection with keyboard, press Ctrl + Shift + F8 to enable rectanguar selection. Now you can use arrow keys to make selection. Press Esc to release.
Do you know any other method of making selection in MS-Word?
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Tags: Extended Selection, Keyboard Shortcuts, Microsoft Word, Normal Selection, Rectangular Selection, Selection in Word
About shkhanal
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certainly like your web-site however you have to test the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very bothersome to tell the reality then again I will surely come again again.
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shkhanal
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February 7th, 2012 at 7:15 am
Sorry for the negligence. Probably I’m more hurried to throw contents rather than polishing it
Will pay more attention now onwards. thanks for pointing out.
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Its very important to me in exam time,its really good,so i always followed this. . .
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Dear Sh Khanal, IIts my pleasure to thank you a lot because i found a lot of useful information in your website, attended the online test as well as read many other informative materials. Hope i can increase my knowledge if else i will not be able to pass the computer operator exam. It would be better if you increased the online tests for the computer operator.
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Quite useful exept the Normal Selection paragraph, I think I’ve heard about it in my childhood
P.S. I use Shift+arrows for selection.
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really this is very good…………….i always followed this…………………….
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manoj Reply:
July 18th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
i like this
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