@BAR What about SHIFT+up/down to highlight multiple lines. Thank you, EricJTx, changing the color solved the problem. He writes about Windows 10, Xbox One, and cryptocurrency. Selecting text in any other program works perfectly. I had the problem you mention, though under MacOS 12.3 and Word 16.62 Home/Student. Some dirt or oils may be interfering with the mouses functionality. How to Use Cron With Your Docker Containers, How to Use Docker to Containerize PHP and Apache, How to Pass Environment Variables to Docker Containers, How to Check If Your Server Is Vulnerable to the log4j Java Exploit (Log4Shell), How to Use State in Functional React Components, How to Restart Kubernetes Pods With Kubectl, How to Find Your Apache Configuration Folder, How to Assign a Static IP to a Docker Container, How to Get Started With Portainer, a Web UI for Docker, How to Configure Cache-Control Headers in NGINX, How to Set Variables In Your GitLab CI Pipelines, How to Use an NVIDIA GPU with Docker Containers, How Does Git Reset Actually Work? Has anyone else noticed a bug or issue in Preview that prevents text selection? rev2023.4.21.43403. Joel Lexchin, User profile for user: It only takes a minute to sign up. To work around this problem, use the mouse to select non-contiguous areas of your Word document. You position the cursor at the beginning of the text, hold the mouse button down, drag the cursor to the end, then release the button. 565), Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Can't select text with mouse in Word / Office 2007. Not everyone prefers to use a mouse for text selection. A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. OnePlus Pad Review: First Trys the Charm? but only in certain situations! macOS 11.5, I'm presuming you have a Magic Mouse (wireless), Nov 3, 2021 1:08 PM in response to Grahamhinitt, When I left Click it will not highlight when I hold and drag the cursor. Prepare to have your mind blown. When you do this, the text becomes unselected when you hold CTRL and press the arrow keys to move the insertion point to continue selecting text in a different area of your Word document. Step 1: Click Go on the menu bar and select Utilities. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Are you trying to highlight full words or only parts of words? Choose an expert and meet online. I am running Word on Mac OS Monterey v12.0.1. I have intermittent trouble highlighting text in Microsoft Word 14.2 using the Magic Mouse. Need help with something else? I find sometimes that it is the magnification settings (bottom right corner of Excel, PowerPoint, etc). Trouble selecting cells or objects with mouse, Re: Trouble selecting cells or objects with mouse. You use the keyboard to select areas of non-contiguous text in Microsoft Word. Then randomly it turns back off. Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. He also rips off an arm to use as a sword. omissions and conduct of any third parties in connection with or related to your use of the site. I had a similar problem, not involving Ctrl key, but this was the first thing that came up in Google when I searched for help so thought I'd post my solution here for others. There are no sticky keys. To do this, follow these steps: Use your mouse and select the first text that you want. Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. RELATED: How to Change Mouse Pointer Size and Style in Windows 11. Not sure whether to disparage Apple or MS. Hallelujah! JavaScript is disabled. Switch USB ports. a Question To select text letter by letter, place the cursor at the starting point, hold down the Shift key, then press the Left or Right arrow keys. [Re-Titled by Moderator], call Clean your Macs trackpad and mouse. Your Mac may need a software or firmware update to fix some bugs associated with your mouse or trackpad. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information I can't say for Word (as MS products always seem to want to do their own thing) but in most Mac apps, double clicking will highlight the word. This is what you wanted to eastablish, so now you must take up the matter with MS and seek their advice. Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. If I do Shift+click then I can sometimes select what I want. I exchanged my mouse for a new one and still, hit or miss highlighting. Check that all mouse buttons are working properly. Looks like no ones replied in a while. I was on a 2007 (purchased in 2008) iMac previously running the latest OS X Mountain Lion--without any such issue. The cause was unknown until today when I narrowed it down to the Ctrl key. I have Win10 and Office10 installed. Find the driver of your mouse. Click on the 'pboard' process and then click the (X) in the Activity Monitor tool bar, then click on "Force Quit" button. (4) to paste text that you copied, press, CTRL + V. Get a free answer to a quick problem. any proposed solutions on the community forums. In the meantime, if you are still not able to select text with a mouse or the mouse pad: (1) Use the arrow keys on your keyboard in order to move your curser where you want to highlight text, Which can interfere and can be a pain. Clicking on the favicon (the icon to the left of the URL) will highlight the whole URL in Safari. This happens reliably if I have 'freeze panes' activated (e.g. Why do men's bikes have high bars where you can hit your testicles while women's bikes have the bar much lower? Please advise, Nov 3, 2021 1:59 PM in response to Grahamhinitt, User profile for user: Theres actually a much better way of doing this, and youll never go back. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. But is very annoying. Refunds. Il you use a wireless mouse with a USB dongle, make sure to disconnect it or to switch off your mouse before trying another mouse. Change your right-click settings on your Mac. Embedded hyperlinks in a thesis or research paper. Double clicking, when the curser is on a word, will highlight the word. I believe the problem was either a MacOS problem, or, more likely, an incorrect interaction between Word and MacOS. I have tried several registry edits offered by my findings with no luck. I think the fixed the problem. seventy one, User profile for user: If it is a wired mouse, you may have a bad wire and should try to see if a new mouse will fix the issue. You dont have to worry about dragging to the exact right spot. Check it out below. The best part is this isnt an exclusive trick for any specific platform. I seem to only encounter the issue in MS Word. How a top-ranked engineering school reimagined CS curriculum (Ep. I have the same issue with my Magic Mouse and Microsoft Office including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Apr 19, 2013 9:45 AM in response to Joel Lexchin. Why did DOS-based Windows require HIMEM.SYS to boot? I cannot select text with my mouse in Word and Outlook. This is how it's always been. This kind of goes away if you press the Win key once. I finally tracked it down to the fact I'd disabled my touch pad as was using a mouse - re-enabled the touch pad, problem solved! So, open the Control Panel and launch the interface for mouse settings. A boy can regenerate, so demons eat him for years. My browser text does not have issues either (Safari and/or Firefox). It is not Apple's fault (hopefully). You may have word, but you probably also have Pages. Highlight on Buttons tab and enable ClickLock feature. Once connected, Universal Control can be used to seamlessly move a single mouse cursor from one screen to the other and even drag and drop files between connected devices. Back up your Mac and then select Finder > Go > Go to Folder, type ~/Library, select Go, and then delete the following six files. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Why are players required to record the moves in World Championship Classical games? Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read billions of times. Which was the first Sci-Fi story to predict obnoxious "robo calls"? On what basis are pardoning decisions made by presidents or governors when exercising their pardoning power? This functionality is on by default because it is a standard function of mouse and trackpad usage, so you shouldnt need to enable it. Start moving files on your Mac again with these 15 quick fixes. Back up your Mac and then select Finder > Go > Go to Folder, type ~/Library, select Go, and then delete the following six files. For Free. I've noticed this problem in Excel and Microsoft Edge. You may have never even considered there was another way to highlight text. Which ability is most related to insanity: Wisdom, Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence? This issue was never present until I purchased a new iMac with OS X Mavericks. Some people find this easier than the single-finger default. Suddenly I can't highlight a block of text. any proposed solutions on the community forums. Using the USB mouse, in System Preferences click on Mouse and then Set Up Bluetooth Mouse Once the Magic Mouse has paired with your Mac see if if you can select text If you still can't select text try restarting your Mac in Safe Mode to see if you can highlight text and if you can highlight restart as normal and check again Reply Helpful of 1 1 chronopunk 1 yr. ago I don't think that's it. Hope this saves someone the agonizing pain of being unable to flash fill by dragging, trying to grab documents or emails while it disconnects your click, etc. If total energies differ across different software, how do I decide which software to use? You mean you want to double click to select the text? My trackpad on my laptop worked to highlight just fine and so did a new mouse! Probably both. Just yesterday I updated MacOS to 12.5 on my MacBook Pro M1 Pro and now I can select text just fine. Highlight a Row Using Conditional Formatting, Hide or Password Protect a Folder in Windows, Access Your Router If You Forget the Password, Access Your Linux Partitions From Windows, How to Connect to Localhost Within a Docker Container, How to Run Your Own DNS Server on Your Local Network. I have been having the same trouble since I got a Surface Pro tablet with docking station. In Edge it appeared to be related to the zoom level; if I reset my zoom level I could use the scroll bar otherwise the 'hit box' for the scroll bar and the visual position of the scroll bar were different. I'm running OS 10.8.2 on a MacBook Pro (retina display). Why Is My Click and Drag Not Working Mac? EricJTx, User profile for user: For some reason, double clicking the trackpad button or with one finger on the trackpad itself (tap-tap, essentially), does not do what it used to. Bug #3044 - Unable to drag-select in MS Office. Its best to work through this list in the order presented as the most straightforward tips are listed first while the more complex fixes are at the bottom. 1 Answer Sorted by: 1 You can try updating MacOS I had the problem you mention, though under MacOS 12.3 and Word 16.62 Home/Student. To select text letter by letter, place the cursor at the starting point, hold down the Shift key, then press the Left or Right arrow keys. Logitech 310 mouse will not swipe very well in just about anything, but most annoying in Excel. The Option key on a Mac keyboard Hold down the Option key on your keyboard, then click and hold to start making your selection. Another option is to use the Command+A keyboard combination to select all files in a folder. I found this question when my user was having this same problem - only in Outlook, they could not select text or move the mouse in any new message after using the CTRL key once while writing one (although the mouse worked for moving between fields in the new message, like From, to, Subject, and in all other applications). By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Going nuts. Mar 14, 2014 1:36 PM in response to seventy one. Generating points along line with specifying the origin of point generation in QGIS. The text is highlighted letter by letter, as shown below. Try one of our lessons. I am using `Office 2010` (`Professional 14.0.6112.5000 32-bit` on `Windows 7 Pro SP1`).I have uninstalled and re-installed `Office`. - edited Best practices and the latest news on Microsoft FastTrack, The employee experience platform to help people thrive at work, Expand your Azure partner-to-partner network, Bringing IT Pros together through In-Person & Virtual events. should now. Couldnt be simpler, right? What differentiates living as mere roommates from living in a marriage-like relationship? It may not display this or other websites correctly. In excel, I can no longer reliably left click, hold and drag to select a specific range of cells. Feb 12, 2015 4:44 AM in response to Joel Lexchin. Shavingream, User profile for user: All postings and use of the content on this site are subject to the. It's a Word preference setting. provided; every potential issue may involve several factors not detailed in the conversations If none of the above fixes worked, it might be worth heading into an Apple Store and asking an employee for advice. Then use your mouse or trackpad to select and drag the files to a new location. When I left-click and drag my mouse over text in MS Word or in an e-mail message in Outlook Express, then the text is highlighted and ready to delete, copy, paste etc. @Colette KillianIt's your mouse! And what happens when you highlight browser text? Generic Doubly-Linked-Lists C implementation. Can Power Companies Remotely Adjust Your Smart Thermostat? Could a subterranean river or aquifer generate enough continuous momentum to power a waterwheel for the purpose of producing electricity? How to Split a Screen With Snap Layout in Windows 11, How to Fix 'macOS Could Not Be Installed on Your Computer' Error, How to Keep Your Mac Keyboard and Mouse Clean, How to Drag and Drop Screenshots in iOS 15, How to Fix It When the Cursor Disappears in Windows 10. iPhone v. Android: Which Is Best For You? In Mountain Lion (10.8), the Double-Click speed option has disappeared completely from the Mouse & Trackpad settings. Jun 15, 2013 10:37 PM in response to Joel Lexchin. It only occurs in MS word. The buttons on a mouse are a lot more versatile than we realize. Why xargs does not process the last argument? If I drag the cursor to the URL bar and double click, the entire thing won't be highlighted as it should and always used to do until recently. I have Text Selection tool selected and am not able to select or highlight text. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Go to System Preferences > Accessibility Choose Mouse & Trackpad from the left options list Click Trackpad Options Tick "Enable dragging" and select "three finger drag" from the drop-down menu next to it For macOS 10.15 "Catalina" and later: Go to System Preferences > Accessibility Choose Pointer Control Learn how the long-coming and inevitable shift to electric impacts you. That is why I asked the questions I did. I had the same problem and rebooting did the trick for me. Just bought a new 21.5 inch iMac and using the most current version of MS Word (2011 for Mac) and I'm having frustrating attempts at highlighting text, and even double-clicking words. Select Apple > System Preferences > Trackpad and uncheck the box next to Force Click and haptic feedback. Anyone found a fix besides another mouse or pull out the old one with a wire? Is your mouse wireless? If youre using a multi-button mouse, you may need to adjust its settings to get it to drag and drop properly on your Mac. There should be a button.In the Word Options window click on the Resources option and then click the Diagnose button next to the 'run Microsoft Office Diagnostics' option. Instead of re-installing Office, you can use the Office diagnostic tools which may repair the problem. Press the calc key and open the calculator twice, Play/Pause key press twice also so doesn't work, Zoom key in Microsoft Keyboard doesn't work. 565), Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Can't use mouse to place an insertion point or drag-select text in Word; cursor moves as commanded by mouse, Synergy prevents click and drag actions in some Windows applications, Double click selecting word in Word / Outlook, Can't select text with mouse in Word / Office 2007, MSWord 2010 shortcut key for TOGGLING styles, When I reduce header size in Word all hell breaks loose, How to fully undo an Insert Page Numbers operation in Word, Microsoft 365 E5 security add-on can't remove autofill email addresses in Outlook 2016. I can for a little while, then I can't, so, I close and restart the applications again and all is well. Jul 21, 2016 7:33 PM in response to Joel Lexchin, Go to System Preferences / General and set the select text color to something other than white/clear, which will be shown as 'other.'. It is a more global problem as I cannot select the intended paragraph of text on a webpage using Chrome.