To select all the main document text in Word, click in an ordinary body paragraph and press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac. In desktop Word for Windows, Home > Select > Select All is a ribbon alternative. Check the highlight before copying, deleting, or changing formatting across the document.
Select the document text
- Open the document and click inside its main text—not in a search field, table cell, header, footer, or text box.
- Press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac. In Windows desktop Word, you can choose Home > Select > Select All instead.
- Verify that the intended paragraphs are highlighted.
- Apply your command, such as Copy, a font change, or a proofing-language setting. Click in the document or press an arrow key when you want to clear the selection.
For example, after selecting the body you can change its font consistently or follow our proofing-language guide. If you only need a few paragraphs, select those instead of the whole document.
If you prefer the mouse, move the pointer into the left margin until it turns into a right-pointing arrow, then triple-click. Word selects the whole document, the same as Ctrl+A.
Why Ctrl+A may select less than expected
Word has several editing areas. If the insertion point is inside a table, text box, header, footer, or a dialog’s text field, the command can first apply to that area. Click in an ordinary body paragraph and try again. Do not assume that every floating picture or shape is selected just because the main text is highlighted; objects may need Home > Select > Selection Pane or separate selection.
In Word for the web, place the cursor in the document before pressing Ctrl+A. If your browser’s address bar or another page field has focus, the shortcut selects that field’s text instead. Microsoft documents Ctrl+A for selecting document content in Word for the web.
Select a smaller amount of text
Double-click a word to select it. To select a passage, click before its first character, hold Shift, and use the arrow keys; dragging across it with the mouse also works. Selecting just what you need is safer before deleting or changing paragraph formatting. If you applied a whole-document change by mistake, use Ctrl+Z or Command+Z promptly and inspect the result. Our Undo guide explains the recovery path.
For every mouse and keyboard method, including Shift+click, F8 and selecting separate passages at once, see our full guide to selecting text in Word.
If nothing appears selected
Click in the document body and press the shortcut again. If the document is in a read-only or protected view, first check whether editing is allowed; do not bypass a protection on a file you do not have permission to change. If you need to copy from a protected document, use the controls that its owner permits. Once highlighted text appears, stop before pressing Delete or typing, since either action can replace the selection.
Sources: Microsoft Support: select text; Microsoft Support: select objects; Microsoft Support: select all in Word for the web.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com