Using MS Word on a MacBook Air, suddenly I cannot select text for copy and paste.

Lisa Grinnell 0 Reputation points
2026-06-12T19:34:29.6133333+00:00

Using MS Word as a subscriber, I am unable to select text to copy, paste. How do I fix this?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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Answer recommended by moderator
Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 437.7K Reputation points
2026-06-12T20:50:30.3533333+00:00

This is fairly common. Please see Select Text as well as Selection Techniques

Please note that the verbose generated by the AI bot is not wrong but it isn't actually accurate, especially the portion re selection methods.

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  1. John Jefferson Doyon 88,630 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-12T20:31:54.6933333+00:00

    Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

    Are you unable to select text only in Microsoft Word, or does the same issue happen in other apps as well?

    Also, which version of Word are you using, and did this start after a recent Office or macOS update?

    As a quick test, try closing Word completely and reopening it. If that doesn't help, start your Mac in Safe Mode and test whether text selection works there. This can help determine if a third-party app or extension is interfering with Word.

    Let us know what you find, and we'll go from there.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-12T19:34:41.6666667+00:00

    Use the following steps to restore text selection and copy/paste in Word for Mac:

    1. Restart Word and macOS
      • Completely quit Word (Word > Quit Word) and reopen it.
      • If the issue persists, restart the MacBook Air and try again.
    2. Update macOS and Office
      • Install the latest macOS updates from System Settings.
      • Open any Office app, go to Help > Check for Updates, and install all available Office updates.
      • Several users report that after updating macOS and Office, Word again allows selecting text with the mouse or trackpad.
    3. Use keyboard selection as a fallback
      • Place the cursor where selection should start.
      • Hold Shift and use the arrow keys to extend the selection.
      • Once selected, use Command+C to copy and Command+V to paste.
    4. Try alternative selection techniques
      • Double-click a word to select it.
      • Triple-click a paragraph to select it.
      • Use these methods to select text, then apply copy (Command+C) and paste (Command+V).

    If the problem continues after updates and restart, reinstalling Office or contacting Microsoft Support may be required, but in most reported cases updating macOS and Office resolves the inability to select text.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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