Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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 November 27, 2014)

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, and 2013. 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

Understanding Add-Ins

The primary way to extend what Excel can do is through the use of add-ins. This tip explains what they are and the ...

Discover More

Quickly Deleting Words

Tired of pressing the Delete or Backspace key for every character you want to delete? Here's a way you can make your ...

Discover More

Determining the Number of Bookmarks Defined in a Document

If you develop a macro that needs to work with bookmarks defined in a document, it is inevitable that you will need a way ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Processing Information Pasted from a PDF File

When pasting information copied from a PDF file, you can end up with a paragraph for each line of the original document. ...

Discover More

Different Ways of Inserting Dates

Word provides a couple of different ways you can insert the current date into a document. Which method should you choose? ...

Discover More

Erratic Behavior of Ctrl+PgDn

Have you ever noticed that when you use Ctrl+PgDn or Ctrl+PgUp that Word may give you results you didn't expect. Here's ...

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 9 - 6?

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 © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.