Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 14, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Glenn knows how to select a paragraph (triple clicking) in order to delete that paragraph. Often, though, he likes to keep his hands on the keyboard without resorting to using the mouse. Glenn wonders if there is a shortcut key that would allow him to delete a paragraph without the need of selecting all the text in the paragraph first.
The standard way of deleting entire paragraphs with the keyboard relies on the use of multiple shortcut keys. This is the sequence that you could follow to do the deletion:
Another quick way to do this using the keyboard is to simply press the F8 key four times, which selects the paragraph in which the insertion point is located. You can then press the Delete key to get rid of that paragraph.
If you want something shorter—perhaps something that uses a single shortcut key—then you will need to create a macro to do the deletion for you. There are a number of ways you can approach this in VBA, but this is, perhaps, the shortest way:
Sub QuickDelete() Selection.Paragraphs(1).Range.Delete End Sub
Note that this single-line macro deletes whatever paragraph the insertion point happens to be in. If you have a selection made, then the first paragraph of the selection is deleted. You can assign the macro to a keyboard shortcut, and then you will have your single-keystroke method to delete paragraphs.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5269) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
Your in-house document style may require that job titles be all lowercase. Applying such a rule across a long document or ...
Discover MoreIn publishing, it is common practice to indicate a range of numbers by using an en dash between the first number and the ...
Discover MoreNeed an em dash to be "sticky" on both ends of the dash? Word doesn't provide such formatting, but there are a few ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2018-02-10 12:47:34
Russ
In Word 2007, I have to press the F8 key 4 times to select an entire paragraph. Pressing only 3 times just selects the current sentence within a paragraph.
2018-02-10 04:28:03
Sarma
This macro came in handy. I was struggling to find a method to select the paragraph at current location of the cursor. I tweaked this code as
Selection.Paragraphs(1).Range.Select
and got my job done.
Thank you.
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments