Word auto-highlighting, how to make it STOP!

Anonymous
2014-01-17T18:00:43+00:00

How do you disable this STUPID feature?

I'm trying to highlight a single word or some part of a word for cut&paste operations and Word auto-highlights the whole line and sometimes the whole paragraph or page.

I can be using a mouse, I can be using the shift+arrow keys, it doesn't matter. The auto-highlight takes over.

it seems to be worse on any kind of bullets and numbering or any header/footer fields.

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auto-indent is another evil feature. cut and paste from a notepad  and the indent is changed on your bullets and numbering. pretty much control-v means indent text right ->

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2014-01-17T20:13:29+00:00

    In order to be able to select a portion of a word, you must clear the check box for "When selecting, automatically select entire word" at File | Options | Advanced: Editing options. But that doesn't explain runaway highlighting such as you describe unless your mouse button has a hair trigger: double-clicking will select a word, Ctrl+click a sentence, and triple-click a paragraph.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-09-25T08:02:37+00:00

    Joe is correct, the feature is annoying.

    The problem occurs in some Emails and a form to fill in in Word.

    The ability to turn off this feature is not present.

    If I click the middle of the word and drag to the right, the following paragraph is highlighted, drag left and the preceding one is highlighting. Double click highlights the entire paragraph.

    I consider this a bug in the Word software, its a pity Microsoft do not. Control of the document should always reside with the end-user, anything that takes away this control is a fault, in my view.

    Regards

    Paul

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-09-28T22:07:08+00:00

    I have the same problem I HAVE unchecked the box but Microsoft could give **** less what I want my computer to do. It still thinks it knows better what I want than I do. It ALWAYS highlights to the end of the word PLUS THE NEXT SPACE. I don't want you to "HELP" me any more. Just highlight WHAT I ASK YOU TO

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  4. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2014-01-17T22:13:23+00:00

    Try left clicking at the beginning of the text that you want to select and then move the mouse point to the end of that text and hold down the Shift key and left click.

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  5. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-09-25T09:20:26+00:00

    I did not say click and drag.  I said click and then move, press SHIFT while Left clicking again.

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