Whenever I try to select a large section of text in Microsoft Word, it seems like it goes into turbo mode as I try to move down the document. Is there any way to slow this select process down when I click and drag the mouse over the text?
- Joan
This question was answered on April 13, 2006. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.
Anyone that works with Microsoft Word documents on a regular basis knows all too well how irritating this process can be.
Word changes scroll speeds during a click and drag session based on how far down past the end of the page you have dragged the mouse pointer Unfortunately, there are only two speeds; moderate and too fast to control!
One way of combating this problem is to change the way you select large quantities of text.
Instead of the click and drag method of selecting large, multi-page quantities of text try placing the cursor at the beginning of the desired text, then scrolling down to the end of the selection and holding the Shift key down before clicking on the desired end.
This will select everything between where you placed the cursor at the top and where you clicked with the Shift key pressed down at the bottom of the text.
For more variation on the keyboard selection method, try playing with the “extend selection” mode by pressing the F8 key several times
Place your cursor at the desired beginning, then press F8 twice, and it will select a word; press it three times, it selects the entire sentence; four times, the entire paragraph, etc When your done, press the Esc key to exit the extend selection mode.
You can also press the F8 key once, then start pressing the Enter key to have it select paragraphs in succession until you get to the end of the desired text.
Another handy series of keyboard shortcuts for selecting text incorporates the Shift key For instance, Shift plus the down arrow will start selecting text one line at a time, while Shift plus Pg Dn (Page Down) will select larger chunks of text.
Also, depending upon the type of mouse that you are using and any special software that might have been installed to support it, you may be able to make a global change to pointer speed or other mouse settings in the Control Panel of Windows.
Click on Start / Control Panel then look for the Mouse icon or option Once you open the Mouse properties window, look for Pointer Options to adjust the speed of your mouse pointers movement.
While you are at it, if you have a wheel mouse, you may want to experiment with the speed adjustments for the wheel as well You can set the number of lines to move up or down for every notch on the wheel or even make it move an entire screen for each notch.
In my experience with working with hundreds of users that don’t necessarily have the best control of a mouse, moving towards using the keyboard shortcuts has always been to most effective solution to this very common problem.
About the author
Posted by Ken Colburn of Data Doctors on April 13, 2006
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