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: Selecting the Entire Document with the Mouse.

Selecting the Entire Document with the Mouse

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated November 17, 2018)

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:

Move the mouse pointer to the left of the paragraphs in your document. (Make sure you don't click the mouse yet.) The pointer changes to an arrow pointing up and to the right.
Hold down the Ctrl key.
Click the left mouse button.

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, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Selecting the Entire Document with the Mouse.

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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Word's Object Model

Understanding Word's Object Model and how it relates to macros in VBA.

Discover More

Deleting Conditional Formatting

After you've applied a conditional format to a cell, you may have a need to later delete that format so that the cell is ...

Discover More

Pulling Filenames into a Worksheet

You can use Excel for all types of data processing. You may want to work with filenames in a worksheet, but the first ...

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)

Added Spaces when Dragging and Dropping Paragraphs

When using Word's editing tools, you may notice some extraneous spaces left where you don't want them. This tip addresses ...

Discover More

Understanding Hyphens and Dashes

Word provides you with three types of hyphens and two types of dashes that you can use in your documents. Understanding ...

Discover More

Deleting All Text in Linked Text Boxes

Word allows you to place text in multiple text boxes and have that text flow from one text box to another. This tip ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

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}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) 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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 3 - 3?

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.

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.