Mouse Tricks for Word Users
Mouse Tricks for Word Users
Keyboard shortcuts are a mainstay for most Word users who are trying to streamline their work. Even brand-new users start slinging around [Ctrl]C and [Ctrl]V soon after mastering the intricacies of scrolling. But keyboard shortcuts are often nonintuitive and hard to remember. (What mnemonic would you use to recall that [Ctrl]E centers document text or that [Ctrl]T produces a hanging indent?)
That’s where mouse shortcuts-the unsung hero of built-in functionality-can take up the slack. Users probably know the basic moves: Right-click on an item to display a shortcut menu, double-click to select a word, triple-click to select a paragraph. But Word has quite a few additional mouse tricks up its sleeve. This overview will help you (and your users) learn some easily remembered techniques to gain quick access to a host of Word options.
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Formatting |
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Action |
Result |
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Double-click an indent marker on the horizontal ruler |
Opens the Paragraph dialog box |
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Double-click the vertical ruler (in Print Preview) or the gray area of the horizontal ruler |
Opens the Page Setup dialog box |
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Double-click a tab marker on the horizontal ruler |
Opens the Tabs dialog box |
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Double-click the style area |
Opens the Style dialog box. (To display the style area, make sure you’re in Normal view, choose Tools | Options | View, and enter a value in the Style Area Width text box.) This is a particularly neat trick for those who prefer setting style options in a dialog box instead of in the task pane. |
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Double-click a section break mark (visible in Normal view) |
Opens the Page Setup dialog box with This Section selected in the Apply To drop-down list. “This” refers to the section above the section break mark you clicked on. |
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Double-click a paragraph properties mark |
Opens the Line And Page Breaks tab in the Paragraph dialog box. The mark is a small black square that appears to the left of a paragraph that has the Keep Lines Together, Page Break Before, or Keep With Next option enabled. (The display of Formatting Marks must be turned on to see these marks; you may need to click Show/Hide ΒΆ on the Standard toolbar to turn on the display.) |
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Double-click a number in a numbered list |
Opens the Numbered tab in the Bullets And Numbering dialog box |
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Double-click a bullet in a bulleted list |
Opens the Bulleted tab in the Bullets And Numbering dialog box |
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Objects and pictures |
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Action |
Result |
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Double-click the frame of a text box |
Opens the Format Text Box dialog box |
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Double-click an AutoShape |
Opens the Format AutoShape dialog box |
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Double-click a WordArt object |
Opens the Edit WordArt dialog box |
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Double-click an embedded object, such as an Excel worksheet or PowerPoint slide |
Opens the object for editing |
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Double-click a picture |
Opens the Format Picture dialog box |
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Double-click a control (check box, command button, etc.) |
Launches the VB Editor and open the properties and code window for that item |
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Miscellaneous tasks |
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Hold down [Ctrl] and click within a sentence |
Selects sentence |
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Hold down [Ctrl] and drag selected text or an object |
Creates a copy of the text or object |
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Double-click the split bar at the top of the horizontal scroll bar |
Splits the window into two panes; double-click the top border of the lower pane to remove the split |
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Double-click in the header or footer area (in Print Layout view) |
Activates the header or footer; double-click in the main text area to return to it |
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In Print Layout view, click between pages |
Shows or hides the white space between them |
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Double-click an unused area beside any toolbar |
Displays the Customize dialog box |
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Right-click on any toolbar |
Displays the toolbars list |
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Double-click a footnote/endnote marker |
Jumps to the corresponding footnote/endnote (and vice versa) |
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Double-click the top border of the Reviewing Pane |
Closes the pane and returns you to the main text area |
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Double-click the right border of the Document Map or Thumbnails pane |
Closes the pane |
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Double-click the document title bar |
Toggles between maximized and restored window size. (Little-known related trick: The same thing happens if you double-click the gray square at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical scroll bars.) |
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Double-click a Move Table Column marker (those little dotted squares you see on the horizontal ruler when you’re in a table) or the Table Move Handle (the four-headed arrow that appears at the top-left corner of a table in Print Layout view) |
Opens the Table Properties dialog box |
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Click the Table Move Handle |
Selects the table |
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Double-click the plus symbol next to a heading in Outline view |
Expands or collapses the heading’s subordinate text |
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Status bar tools |
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Double-click the status bar anywhere to the left of the REC item |
Opens the Go To dialog box |
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Double-click REC on the status bar |
Opens the Record Macro dialog box |
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Double-click TRK on the status bar |
Turns track changes on and off. (Right-clicking on TRK will bring up a shortcut menu of additional options.) |
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Double-click EXT on the status bar |
Turns extend selection mode on and off |
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Double-click OVR on the status bar |
Turns overtype mode on and off |
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Double-click the Spelling And Grammar Status icon on the status bar |
Checks document spelling and grammar. (Right-clicking will bring up a shortcut menu of additional options.) |
