Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, 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 the Entire Document with the Mouse.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 11, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021
If you need to select the entire document, Word makes it easy using the keyboard—just press Ctrl+A. If you are using the mouse and you don't want to let it go to use the keyboard, you may wonder if there is a way to select it all using the mouse.
Well, sort of. This mouse-based method still relies on pressing a key in order to do the trick:
Another way to do this is to simply triple-click the left mouse button after step 1.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12392) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Selecting the Entire Document with the Mouse.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
There are several ways that Word can handle formatting when you paste information in a document. This tip shows you how ...
Discover MoreOnce you start amassing quite a few documents, it is not uncommon to want to change phrases commonly used in those ...
Discover MoreWe've all experienced the problem: You start selecting a large block of text using the mouse, and before you know it the ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2024-03-01 10:19:47
Alex
@Patty: On the Home tab there is a large section named Styles. Click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the Styles section to expand the menu. When the Styles menu pops up, right-click on Normal and select "Modify." From there you can choose your default font, color, spacing, etc. The "format" drop-down in the bottom left corner of this menu will open these options. Make sure to check the "New documents based on this template" radio button at the bottom to have all future Word docs use your selections by default.
Then Go to File > Options > Advanced and scroll to the "Cut, Copy, and Paste" section. I have my selections all set to "Keep text only" which ensures that no matter what I'm pasting into my existing document, it takes the format of what I'm pasting INTO and sheds any formatting it had before. This means that if I *want* to preserve the existing formatting, once I paste the item I use the Paste Options button to revert to "Keep Source Formatting" which is fine for me since I use it so rarely. There is also a checkbox for "Use smart cut and paste" which claims to do the same thing but I have not tried it.
Word (and other Office programs) will be moving away from Calibri soon and will have a new default font. You may be open to the new system font and won't have to do any of this every time you start a new job or upgrade your pc or need a fresh Windows install.
There are word processing programs other than MS Word. Exploring menu options frequently presents many preferences you can set for how your copy of a program behaves. If all else fails, there are several search engines that can assist in finding what you need.
2018-11-25 14:59:14
Patty
I open five pages of format, make a section break and then insert a document. Word always wants to change what i have done to some my first five pages.
How can I save some formatting without Word changing it? Always a big problem for me.
I really do not like editing in Word... I do not like having styles to automatically change things...
Also, how do I change Word to not open in Calibri... I do not want that font?
No one has been able to help me with these things.
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, 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:
Comments