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: Moving to the Start or End of the Real Document.

Moving to the Start or End of the Real Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 25, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


In other issues of WordTips you learn how to use the HomeKey and EndKey methods to move to the beginning or end of a document within a macro. These work great, provided the insertion point is within the main body of the document when the macro is executed. It doesn't always work as expected if the insertion point is someplace else, however.

For instance, if your insertion point is located in a header or footer, then HomeKey and EndKey will result in moving to the beginning or end of the header or footer, not the entire document. To make absolutely sure you go to where you expect in the document, this means you need to use a different VBA approach. The following code line will take you to the beginning of the document, regardless of your insertion point location:

Selection.GoTo What:=wdGoToSection, Which:=wdGoToFirst

Likewise, to jump to the end of the real document you can use the following:

ActiveDocument.Characters.Last.Select
Selection.Collapse

The lack of elegance and symmetry between the two commands is unfortunate, but without knowing where the insertion point is located, these commands are safer than using HomeKey and EndKey alone.

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 (826) 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: Moving to the Start or End of the Real 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. ...

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