Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 10, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you are using a mouse, Word provides a shortcut to select an entire word. To do this, follow these two steps:
If you want to select additional words, hold down the mouse button after the second click and drag the mouse across them. Word adds one word at a time to your selection. Once the words are selected, you can do any other editing function on those words.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1278) 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: Selecting a Word.
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Want a really quick way to select text? Just combine the Shift key with a simple mouse click.
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