Selecting Lots of Graphics

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 10, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

If you have quite a few graphics on a page in Word, you may want to group them all together so they are treated as a single unit. You can select each of the individual graphic items by holding down the Shift key and clicking on each one, but there is a faster way.

All you need to do is click on the Select Objects tool on the Drawing toolbar. (The Select Objects tool is the one that looks like an arrow.) You can then click your mouse and drag it to define a rectangle that encloses all the objects you want selected. Anything within the rectangle is selected when you release the mouse button.

To turn off object selection, just press the Esc key.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (694) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Embossing Text

Word can make your text look as if it has been embossed on the page.

Discover More

Displaying a Hidden First Row

If you hide the first rows of a worksheet, you may have a hard time getting those rows visible again. Here's a simple way ...

Discover More

Detecting Errors in Conditional Formatting Formulas

If an error exists in a formula tucked inside a conditional format, you may never know it is there. There are ways to ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Moving Images Behind Text

When positioning images in a document, you may want them to appear behind text, so that the text shows up over the top of ...

Discover More

Pictures Move on their Own

Insert some pictures into a document, and you may be in for a surprise—they don't necessarily stay where you put ...

Discover More

Making Pictures Show in Word

What are you to do if you can't see all the pictures you know are in your document? The answer may lie in where those ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is seven less than 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.