Using the Selection Pane

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 14, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Word includes a handy management tool called the Selection pane. This tool was introduced in Word 2010 and was initially called the Selection and Visibility pane. This tool is meant for working with objects in your document, particularly shapes and images. To use the tool, display the Layout tab of the ribbon and click the Selection Pane tool in the Arrange group. The pane appears at the right side of the document. (The Selection Pane tool is a toggle; clicking it a second time hides the pane.)

The purpose of the pane is to list all the objects on the current page. You can then use the controls in the pane to hide or display the objects or to change the order in which they appear. Assuming there are objects listed for the current page, note that there is a small icon at the right of each object's name. Click this and you alternately hide or display the object.

When you select an object in the Selection pane, Word also selects it in the document itself. With an object selected you can adjust the ordering of that object, relative to other objects on the page, by clicking the up and down buttons at the top-right of the pane. Ordering only has practical value if your objects overlap each other in some manner; in that case the ordering determines which object is in front of or behind the other objects.

It should be noted that the Selection pane displays only the objects on the currently displayed page, not all the objects in the document. This means that as you scroll through the document, what is listed in the pane will necessarily change as you move from page to page.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8342) applies to Microsoft Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Nudging a Graphic

If you need to move a graphic just a little bit in one direction or another, you can do so by using the techniques in ...

Discover More

Formatting Footnote and Endnote References

Depending on whom you are writing for, you may want your footnote and endnote references to appear a specific way. Word ...

Discover More

Rounding Up to the Next Half

When processing data it is not unusual to need to round that data in some way. For instance, you may need to round a ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Absolutely Positioning a Graphic

Want a graphic to appear at a precise place on the page? It's easy to gain control by following the steps in this tip.

Discover More

Changing the Size of a Graphic

Word allows you to add more than text to your documents; you can also add graphics. Once added, you can modify the size ...

Discover More

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
Subscribe

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.

What is 7 + 9?

2022-05-16 04:57:19

Robert Love

Is the Selection Pane available on a Mac? I recommended this tip to a friend with a Mac but he says he can't find it.


This Site

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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.