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: Selecting a Field.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 13, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
When fields are inserted in your documents, you might need to select an entire field in order to edit it. The quickest way to do this is to simply select the first character of the field. If field codes are visible, the first character is the opening left bracket. If field codes are not visible (field results are instead visible), then you simply select the first character of the result.
When you select the first character, the entire field is selected. This type of selection will work whether you are working with displayed field codes or with field results.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11140) 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: Selecting a Field.
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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:
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