Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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: Picking a Contiguous Range of Table Cells.

Picking a Contiguous Range of Table Cells

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 29, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365

There are many times when you are working with tables in Word and you need to select a range of cells. This is very easy to do using the keyboard, the mouse, or a combination of both.

The first step in selecting a range of cells is to place the insertion point in the first cell in the range. With this done you are ready to proceed.

Using the keyboard, you can hold down the Shift key as you use the navigation keys (up, down, left, and right arrows) to extend the range.
Using the mouse, you can click on the first cell and hold down the mouse button as you drag the mouse to extend the range.
Using the keyboard and mouse, you can hold down the Shift key as you click on the cell that defines the opposite corner of the range you want selected.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13303) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Picking a Contiguous Range of Table Cells.

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...

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