Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Transposing Two Paragraphs.

Transposing Two Paragraphs

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 4, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

As you are developing a document, there may be times when you want to transpose two adjacent paragraphs. One way is to use the Shift+Alt+Down Arrow or Shift+Alt+Up Arrow shortcuts to adjust paragraph order. If you want to actually transpose two paragraphs, however, and you need to do that quite often, you could accomplish the task using a macro.

The following macro will make short work of the task. All you need to do is position the insertion point between two paragraphs you want to transpose, and then issue this macro:

Sub TransposeParagraphs()
    Selection.MoveUp Unit:=wdParagraph, _
      Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend
    Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
    Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, _
      Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend
    Selection.Range.Cut
    Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1
    Selection.Range.Paste
End Sub

If you position the insertion point inside a paragraph instead of between paragraphs, the macro assumes you want to transpose the current paragraph with the following paragraph.

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 (9142) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Transposing Two Paragraphs.

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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Setting Matrix Column Spacing in the Equation Editor

If you are using matrices in your equations, you may want to adjust the spacing used between columns.

Discover More

Style Names Can Affect Style Definitions

Most people think that you can name styles almost anything you want. You can, but there may be some unintended ...

Discover More

Ensuring that Spell Checking is Enabled in All Styles

Ever want to enable spell checking in all of the styles within a document, but don't want to check each and every one ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Adding Half Spaces to Punctuation

Want a little more space just before some of your punctuation characters? You can add that spacing in a variety of ways, ...

Discover More

Inserting a Section Mark

Section marks are used regularly in the writings of some industries, such as in legal documents. If you need a way to ...

Discover More

Deleting a Range of Pages

Need to delete a range of pages out of the middle of your document? It's easy to do using editing techniques you already ...

Discover More

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 5 - 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

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.