Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Jumping to the Start or End of a Document.

Jumping to the Start or End of a Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 20, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

When you are creating a macro, there are many times you want to move to the beginning or end of your document. The exact syntax for how you do this depends on whether you are using WordBasic or VBA. If you are programming in VBA, you use the HomeKey and EndKey methods of the Selection object. For instance, the following two lines will move the cursor to the beginning of the document, and then to the end:

Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
Selection.EndKey Unit:=wdStory

If you want to select everything from the current position to the beginning or end of the document, you simply add the Extend method. The following will select everything from the current location to the beginning of the document:

Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory, Extend:=wdExtend

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (120) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Jumping to the Start or End of a Document.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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What is three more than 1?

2020-06-10 10:11:01

Vitor Carvalho

So, please, may you tell me why in an VBA access subroutine, when i try to execute the code below
why did i get a compiler error on the statements ".Selection.HomeKey" or ".Selection.EndKey", because the system apparently doesen't recognize the "wdStory" and "wdExtend" parameters.

... .... ....
Set oApp = CreateObject("Word.Application") 'Cria e abre o objeto Word
With oApp
.Documents.Open (vDotx)
.Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
.Selection.EndKey Unit:=wdStory, Extend:=wdExtend
.Selection.Copy
End With

2019-07-01 14:08:11

Ilya

Thanks, very helpful!

2019-03-04 03:40:48

Vikas

Thanks!
this is what I have been looking for.

2018-04-12 13:08:09

Brian Smith

Thank you for posting - -his worked perfectly!

2017-12-13 14:46:54

Jamie

Just what I needed, thanks! Works perfect. Everyone else wanted to use SendKeys.

2016-08-14 08:43:59

Mike

It would be helpful if you did this in non expert computer mode.

I am not an expert just a user.

2016-07-24 10:46:38

Paul Creamer

I'm trying to use this tip..

but what I have is a activedocument.

What I am literally trying to do is to take a template.doc (basically a new page1) to go above 1200+ jobdocs that are existing docs.. These existing docs all have tables in the worddoc.

Converting them to text.. is not a option, per the information is such that it would be messy.

So when I try whatever ive tried.. I always end up with template.doc in the topmost/leftmost cell of the table.. instead of above the table.

Ive tried sendkey,homekey both and even other ideas.. yet even with above

I am assuming the tip above is working and that its what I try to insert template that I'm goofing on.

Any ideas?

2015-03-30 07:38:30

Tarik

Thanks for the tip

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