Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Office 365. 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

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated March 10, 2020)

4

As you are developing a document, there may be times when you want to transpose two adjacent paragraphs. All you need to do is position the insertion point between two paragraphs you want to transpose, and then issue the macro in this tip. If you position the cursor inside a paragraph, it assumes you want to transpose the current paragraph with the following. This macro, TransposeParagraphs, will do the trick:

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

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 Word in Office 365. 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Embedding TrueType Fonts by Default

If you use TrueType fonts frequently, you might want to set Word to embed those fonts by default. Here's how to do it.

Discover More

Searching for Leading Apostrophes

Take a look at the Formula bar when you select a cell that contains text, and you may see an apostrophe at the beginning ...

Discover More

Protecting a Single Worksheet

Excel allows you to protect your worksheets easily—and that includes if you need to protect only a single worksheet ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Replacing Spaces in Part Numbers with Dashes

Word has a power capability to search for information and then replace that information in some way. Finding the right ...

Discover More

Pasted Text Looks Like Hollow Squares

When you paste something into your document, you expect it to at least be readable. If, instead of letters, you see small ...

Discover More

Turning Off the Clipboard Icon

When you paste information into a document, Word normally displays a small icon to the right of what you pasted. Some ...

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.

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

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}] 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 6 + 4?

2014-12-22 12:30:23

Phil Reinemann

What is the key combo on a Mac with Word 2011?

On a Mac keyboard 'alt' is 'option' key (alt is upper left of the word 'option') and 'alt' maybe is obtained by clicking option with the shift key, so how does one SHIFT + 'SHIFT+alt'?

I tried SHIFT+option (the alt key) and an arrow, and all it did was highlight the rest of the paragraph to the end (down-arrow) or to the beginning (up-arrow).

2014-02-22 12:09:10

rcstan98

I use Alt + Shift + up/down arrows to move entire Paragraphs. This same key combination works in Tables, and moves entire Rows up/down.

This works in all versions of Word, beginning with 2000.

A great characteristic of this key combo is that you need not Select anything; just park your Cursor any place within the Paragraph or Row to be moved, and voila!

2014-02-22 11:32:32

Surendera M Bhanot

Thanks Allen for taking this matter up and Bigger thanks to E Nora for making the things more easier.

One can not only go up and down one para but a number of paras with each stroke of up/down arrow.

So wonderful

2014-02-22 11:10:18

E Nora

An even easier shortcut: With cursor in the first paragraph, press [SHIFT]+[ALT]+down arrow. This moves the current paragraph down below its following paragraph. [SHIFT]+[ALT]+ up arrow does the reverse.

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.

Newest Tips
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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.