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. Stefan Blom 352.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2018-04-14T20:23:25+00:00

    What have you tried so far, out of the suggestions in this thread?

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  2. Stefan Blom 352.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2018-03-12T19:49:43+00:00

    Yes, of course it is a matter of personal preference. It's just that I'm lazy enough to appreciate not having to select a single word when applying formatting to it. :-)

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  3. Stefan Blom 352.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2016-03-25T23:13:50+00:00

    The insert key key does not solve the problem and the document is locked so one can't access the toolbars.

    It is a bug in Word. 

    Note that my remark on OverType was intended only as a reply to xxscottjxx. As I wrote in that reply, in recent versions of Word the Insert key does not control OverType by default, and therefore it usually wouldn't affect selections.

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  4. Stefan Blom 352.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2016-03-25T22:58:15+00:00

    If you are saying that you turned off OverType mode, that could certainly affect the way text gets selected.

    Note that in recent versions of Word, OverType isn't controlled by the Insert key by default. The option is called "Use the Insert key to control overtype mode" and it is found under "Editing options" at File | Options | Advanced.

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  5. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-10-03T08:10:55+00:00

    You can send it to either of the email addresses in my signature.  Please reference this thread so that I can relate it to the issue.

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