Tip #4658 - Vertical Selection in Word Printer Friendly Version | E-Mail This Tip
Vertical
Selection in Word
Ever need to select
a "weird" portion of an MS Word document? I'm talking about
a selection that doesn't follow the usual line by line highlighting
the program implements by default.
Maybe you're looking
to copy a vertical column of information from the center of your document,
which is a difficult prospect with the usual methods. You could highlight
and copy/paste each item on the list individually, but that could
take a very long time.
Looking for a
way to highlight and copy/paste the list in one move, without taking
extra text with you?
Yep, I agree.
It could be a handy skill to have. You just never know when it might
save the day! So, let's take a look at the "how to," shall
we? Oh, and by the way, this one works the same for Word 2007 as well.
First, let's take
care of all you mouse lovers out there.
-
What
you'll need to do is place the cursor at one corner
of the text to be highlighted and then hold down the Alt
key.
-
With
the Alt key still depressed, click, hold and drag the mouse
pointer over the exact rectangular shape you're looking
to highlight.
-
Once
you release the mouse button, it's back to business as usual for
the copy/paste.
Now, while that's
good for the mouse lovers of the group, what about those of you who
prefer to use the keyboard as much as possible? Well, I'm happy to
report that there is a solution right at your fingertips. Literally!
-
Again,
you need to move the cursor to one corner of the
text to be highlighted. Once you use the next step, the highlight
will be anchored at that location, so be certain you're located
in a corner. If not, you'll have to start over to get it all highlighted.
-
Now,
use the key combination of Ctrl + Shift + F8.
-
That
will anchor and activate the highlighting so that you can use
the arrow keys to move through the page in any of the four
directions. You'll notice that you're highlighting a rectangular
shape, without highlighting entire lines, when you hit the up or
down arrow.
-
When
you've highlighted the exact area you need, proceed with your usual
copy/paste work.
Next question:
If you need to start over or cancel this feature, how do you turn
it off?
Well, you simply
hit the Esc key. That will cancel the function and
you're free to continue as normal!
~ April
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