Copy and Paste with Precision: MS Word

Here's a tip for MS Word users who do a lot of cutting and pasting with text and prefer to minimize the number of times they reach for the mouse.

For example: suppose you want to copy and paste a line that which uses the "Heading" format into a paragraph with normal formatting. When you select the line, MS Word will also select the paragraph mark which denotes a carriage return (or the beginning of a new line). If you simply paste the line (instead pasting as "unformatted text"), Word will impose the "Heading" style on the line you just pasted.

Here's a quick and easy way to copy and paste text without including paragraph mark:

  • Position the cursor where you want to start copying, press the [Shift] key, and press [End] to select a single line of text.
     
  • To select more, press the Right Arrow key while pressing [Shift].
     
  • While still pressing the [Shift] key, press the Left Arrow key once. Doing so deselects the paragraph mark.
     
  • When you copy and paste this text, it will assume the formatting associated with the target paragraph.

That's it!

Visit Carol's web site to learn more tips like this one!

Webroot Software Inc.
ad