MS Word 2016 Alt-Click on a word to open Research Bug

This tread is not about getting the block selection mode to work its about the bug MS added that broke the Alt-Click Research option that I had used in MS Office for like 10 years. Start another tread.

First, those who moderate these forums with a Microsoft tag are simply that, moderators. They may try to answer questions, but their responses aren't typically based on experience. They post what they find in the Help files or repeat something they found online. I've noted about 9 out of every 10 of their responses suggest reinstalling Office or Windows.

It may seem buggy, but it's not, now that I understand the cause. If you recall, one detail I noted when the Alt-Click functionality worked vs it not working was the presence of the AutoSave button on the Quick Access Toolbar. When it wasn't working the AutoSave was present. It disappeared when my Alt-Click started working again. And when it reappeared, my Alt+Click stopped working again. The initial rollout of the AutoSave, which included the Modern Translator, had an issue and they rolled the update back. This is why it didn't work, started working, and then stopped again.

Another reason some people can still use their Alt-Click is because they either don't have all Office 365 updates installed or they're using a non-O365 version of Office 2016. Non-O365 versions do not get updates.

As noted in my reply, Outlook didn't get the Modern Translator update. And upon checking, Excel and OneNote haven't been updated either. I suspect they all will at some point it will stop working in those apps. The reason Word was first is because translation services are more likely to be used in it. I'm not sure if you're using Group Policy, but it can be used to return to the old Translation service which uses the Research pane. There's a link in my reply on how to do this.

I agree that it would've been nice to make users aware of this instead of us wasting a bunch of time trying to track it down. I reviewed the update details and didn't see the removal of the Alt-Click listed.

I can see why they got rid of it due to user complaints. I use the Alt key to make a vertical text selection and I usually trigger the Research pane the first time I try. It's annoying when that happens. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't nix Alt-Click before it was officially released. I attended the Office 2003 Launch Event in NYC and saw Bill Gates do a demo in Word 2003. I watched him get hit by a bug in the new Alt-Click functionality in the beta version he was using. He was demoing it and Alt-Clicked an image and triggered a bug that put Word into a non-responsive state. I'm sure no one else recognized it or even noted he had an issue. It was only a matter of seconds before he pushed an "emergency" button that switched to another computer backstage and no one was the wiser. The only reason I noticed is because I filed the bug. :-)

Thanks for the effort Beth. I wish MS cared half as much. I feel lucky if I can install a simple Windows update anymore. 

Microsoft actually does care. Please don't judge the product managers of a product based on the MSFT Moderators. :-) I say that because I reached out to a few MS product managers and this is now on their radar. What they would like you to do is use Send a Frown and tell them about this issue. You don't need to be detailed, as I've provided a lot of details to them already. All you really need is to use the key words "Alt+Click not functioning" and a brief description to help routed it to the right person. If you could do this, it will be very helpful to in solving the problem. When you use Send a Frown, they also receive information about your Word installation and enviornment. I'm hoping they can compare it what I have sent as well and figure this out. Oh, and mention you're using a Dell laptop. I suspect that's a factor as well. They really do read the Send a Frown/Smile feedback and, in this situation, it's a helpful tool to enable them to obtain more details.

Looks like Beth Melton is the only one to see and then fix it.

I've checked this here and there, since what I did, didn't work work for you, and it's worked. Until today. Mine isn't working anymore either. It did a couple days ago. I tried the same thing I did before, adding another proofing language, and that didn't resolve it this time. I also renamed the entire Word key in the Registry and that didn't work either. As I suspected, the language change was a coincidence.

I started Word in Safe Mode. Still didn't work. Started it normally, and encountered a couple of ribbon interface errors on two new tools: AutoSave and Read Aloud. AutoSave no longer appears on my QAT (I'm aware that it isn't working yet) and Read Aloud is flaky. Sometimes it's there and other times it isn't. I restarted Word a couple of times in both Safe Mode and normally, trying to reproduce the interface error. This may be another coincidence, but my Alt+Click is working again. I'm certain it wasn't working when I started typing this reply. I've been documenting everything as I've tried it, in case I stumble on a magic solution. 

There's definitely something odd going on. Personally, I'm not going through the hamster in the wheel ritual of reinstalling Office. I know that's not the problem. Right now, I'm trying to eliminate Dell utilities, as I also have a Dell laptop. Since that's a commonality, I think that's where the issue lies. Keep trying your Alt-Click here and there. I don't think you were looking at Word 2010 when it was working. It appears to be sporadic behavior. If mine stops working again, I'm going to make note of all running tasks/services. You may want to do the same. I did disable Dell Data Vault (ended the task) prior to mine working again. It could be creating a conflict since it records keyboard inputs.

I'll update this thread with any new information.

I tried adding UK and Canada languages and other than turning the Shift+” into an @ nothing changed.

I tried enabling the new languages and making them the primary and then removing them and each time with the Research pain open.

Renaming the Word key resets my Word config but the Alt+click Research remains unseen on any of our office PCs. We just have the 4 new Dell laptops that came with Windows 10 and Office 2010.

This is so silly.

It works in Word 2010.

It works in Outlook 2016.

It works in Excel 2016!

It works in One Note 2016!@#!@#!

It refuses to work in Word 2016. The only one I want it to work in and the only one until now I even knew it worked in.

Good grief MS! Check your work!