Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 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: Adding Parentheses.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 20, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365
Normally, you add parentheses around your parenthetical remarks as you type your text. There may be times, however, when you want to add the parentheses at a later time. For instance, while editing your document you may select some text and then want parentheses added around the selected text. The following macro, AddParens, can be used to add the desired parentheses:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 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:
Sub AddParens()
If Len(Selection.Range) > 0 Then
Selection.InsertBefore "("
Selection.InsertAfter ")"
Else
MsgBox "No text was selected!"
End If
End Sub
The macro uses the InsertBefore and InsertAfter methods to add the appropriate parenthesis before and after the selected text.
To use the macro, assign it to a shortcut key or to a toolbar button. You then select the target text and invoke the macro. The desired parentheses are added to the text. (If you don't select any text before invoking the macro, you'll see a message box to that effect.)
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11920) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Adding Parentheses.
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2022-09-20 12:44:07
Austin
And note that this macro can be modified to enclose selected text between quotation marks, brackets, or any other paired characters.
2020-08-08 16:21:52
James
How can we apply this for multiple words selected in a document? It is only applying to a last selected word.
Please help.
2020-08-08 15:40:03
James
How can we apply this for multiple words selected in a document? It is only applying to a last selected word.
Please help.
2020-06-17 20:12:17
Larry Schwartz
My thanks also. I have over 400 of these paragraphs.
2020-06-15 08:10:13
Martin Barry
Fabulous! Thanks so much for your help.
2020-06-14 04:23:06
Ken Endacott
The following modified macro will avoid including a paragraph mark and/or a space before the right parenthesis.
Sub AddParens()
If Right(Selection.Range.Text, 1) = Chr(13) Then _
Selection.MoveEnd Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=-1
If Right(Selection.Range.Text, 1) = Chr(32) Then _
Selection.MoveEnd Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=-1
If Len(Selection.Range) > 0 Then
Selection.InsertBefore "("
Selection.InsertAfter ")"
Else
MsgBox "No text was selected!"
End If
End Sub
2020-06-13 23:52:22
Larry Schwartz
The parenthesis macro came at exactly the time I need it. I’m working with an existing screenplay document in which parenthetical comments are a major component. For these, I need to be able to select a paragraph and then use the macro to enclose the text. However, because selecting a paragraph includes the ending paragraph character, the macro results in the text with the paragraph marker followed by the ending parenthesis, i.e., the ending parenthesis is at the start of the following paragraph. Could you suggest a change to the macro to fix this?
2020-06-12 13:25:47
Martin Barry
Same as Ben K.'s unanswered question from 2018: this Macro doesn't seem to work as it should because Word inserts a leading space before the right parenthesis. Is this a Word anomaly, and is there a way to disable it? On the face of it, the macro itself ought to yield the right result, so I can only assume this is a bit of dim-witted Microsoft behaviour. Thanks!
2018-10-19 13:29:17
Ben K.
How can this macro be modified to NOT enclose a trailing space after a word? I'd like the macro to check if the final character in the selection is a space, and if it is, put the closing parentheses to the left of the space.
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