Delete Text

In this chapter, we will discuss how to delete text in Word 2010. It is very common to delete text and retype the content in your Word document. You might type something you did not want to type or there is something extra which is not required in the document. Regardless of the reason, Word offers you various ways of deleting the text in partial or complete content of the document.

Using Backspace & Delete Keys

The most basic deletion technique is to delete characters one at a time by pressing either the backspace key or the delete key. Following table describes how you can delete single character or a whole word by using either of these two keys −

S.No	Keys & Deletion Methods
1	Backspace Keep the insertion point just after the character you want to delete and press the Backspace key. Word deletes the character immediately to the left of the insertion point.
2	Ctrl + Backspace Keep the insertion point just after the word you want to delete and press Ctrl + Backspace key. Word deletes the whole word immediately to the left of the insertion point.
3	Delete Keep the insertion point just before the character you want to delete and press the Delete key. Word deletes the character immediately to the right of the insertion point.
4	Ctrl + Delete Keep the insertion point just before the word you want to delete and press Ctrl + Delete key. Word deletes the word immediately to the right of the insertion point.

Using Selection Method

You have learnt how to select various parts of a Word document. You can make use of that learning to delete those selected parts as described in the following table −

S.No	Component Selection & Delete Methods
1	Deleting text between two points Click at the start of the block of text, hold down the Shift key, and click at the end of the block to select the portion of text and finally press either the Backspace key or the Delete key.
2	Deleting a single word Double-click anywhere on the word you want to delete and finally press either the Backspace key or the Delete key.
3	Deleting a paragraph Triple-click anywhere on the paragraph you want to delete and finally press either the Backspace key or the Delete key.
4	Deleting a sentence Hold down the Ctrl key and click anywhere in the sentence you want to delete and finally press either the Backspace or the Delete key.
5	Deleting a column of text Hold down the Alt key, click and hold the mouse button, and drag over the column you want to delete and finally press either the Backspace key or the Delete key.
6	Deleting a line Bring your mouse in the selection bar area and click in front of the line you want to delete and finally press either the Backspace key or the Delete key.
7	Deleting entire document content Press Ctrl + A keys to delete the entire document and finally press either the Backspace key or the Delete key.

Note − The black shaded area in the following screen shot is called the selection bar. When you bring your cursor in this area, it turns into a rightward-pointing arrow.

Select Text

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In this chapter, we will discuss how to select text in Word 2010. Selecting a text is one of the most important skills required while editing a word document. You can perform various operations on a selected text; you can delete the selected text, copy it, move it, apply formatting to it, change its capitalization, etc.

The most common method of selecting a text is to click and drag the mouse over the text you want to select. Following table lists down a few other simple methods that will help you in selecting text in different scenarios −

S.No	Component & Selection Method
1	Selecting text between two points Click at the start of the block of text, hold down Shift, and click at the end of the block.
2	Selecting a single word Double-click anywhere on the word you want to select.
3	Selecting a paragraph Triple-click anywhere on the paragraph you want to select.
4	Selecting a sentence Hold down the Ctrl key and click anywhere in the sentence you want to select.
5	Selecting a column of text Hold down Alt, click and hold the mouse button, and drag over the column you want to select.

Note that only one part of the document can be in the selected state. If you have one portion of the document in selected state and as soon as you try to select any other part of the document, previous part will automatically be de-selected.

Using the Selection Bar

The black shaded area in the following screen shot is called the selection bar. When you bring your cursor in this area, it turns into a rightward-pointing arrow.

You can use the selection bar to select the various components of a document as described in the following table −

S.No	Component & Selection Method
1	Selecting a line Bring your mouse in the selection bar area and click in front of the line you want to select.
2	Selecting a paragraph Bring your mouse in the selection bar area and double click in front of the paragraph you want to select.
3	Selecting the document Bring your mouse in the selection bar area and triple-click.

Using the Keyboard

Keyboard provides very good support when you want to select various components of the document as described in the following table −

S.No	Key & Selection Method Selecting Text
1	Ctrl + A Press Ctrl + A keys to select the entire document.
2	Shift Keep pressing the Shift key and use any of the arrow keys to select the portion of text.
3	F8 Press F8 and then use any of the arrows keys to select the portion of text.
4	Ctrl + Shift + F8 Press Ctrl + Shift + F8 and then use any of the arrows keys to select column of the text.

Insert Text

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In this chapter, we will discuss how to insert text in Word 2010. Many times it is required to go back and insert additional text in an existing line. Microsoft Word provides two ways to insert text in existing text and we will show how to use both the methods of inserting text −

Insert and Add Text

First we will see how inserted text will be added into the existing content without replacing any existing content.

Step 1 − Click the location where you wish to insert text; you can also use the keyboard arrows to locate the place where the text needs to be inserted.

Step 2 − Start typing the text that needs to be inserted. Word inserts the text to the left of the insertion point, moving the existing text to the right

Insert and Replace Text

In the Insertion mode, text will be added into the existing content but same time it will over write all the content which comes in its way.

Step 1 − Right-click the status bar and select the Overtype option from the displayed menu.

When you select the Overtype option, the status bar will show the insertmode as shown below −

Step 2 − Click on the Insert text available at the status bar and it will switch to the Overtype mode as shown below −

Step 3 − Now click the location where the text needs to be inserted or you can use the keyboard arrows to locate the place where the text needs to be inserted.

Step 4 − Start typing the text that needs to be inserted. Word will replace the existing text with the newly typed text without moving the position of the exiting test.

Note − Microsoft Word 2010 disabled the functionality of the Insert key and it does nothing, so you will have to follow-up with the above mentioned procedure to turn-on or turn-off the Insert mode.

Closing a Document

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In this chapter, we will understand how to close a document in Word 2010. When you finish working with a document, you will proceed to close the document. Closing a document removes it from your computer screen and if you had other documents open, Word displays the last document you used otherwise, you see a blank Word window. Here are simple steps to close an opened document −

Step 1 − Click the File tab and select the Close option.

Step 2 − When you select the Close option and if the document is not saved before closing, it will display the following Warning box asking whether the document should be saved or not.

Step 3 − To save the changes, click Save, otherwise click Don't Save. To go back to the document, click Cancel. This will close the document and if you have other documents open, Word displays the last document you used, otherwise, you see a blank Word window as shown below −

Opening a Document

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In this chapter, we will discuss how to open a document in Word 2010.

Opening New Document

A new, blank document always opens when you start Microsoft Word. Suppose you want to start another new document while you are working on another document, or you closed an already opened document and want to start a new document. Here are the steps to open a new document −

Step 1 − Click the File tab and select the New option.

Step 2 − When you select the New option from the first column, it will display a list of templates in the second column. Double-click on the Blank document; this is the first option in the template list. We will discuss the other templates available in the list in the following chapters.

You should have your blank document as shown below. The document is now ready for you to start typing your text.

You can use a shortcut to open a blank document anytime. Try using the Ctrl + N keys and you will see a new blank document similar to the one in the above screenshot.

Opening Existing Document

There may be a situation when you open an existing document and edit it partially or completely. Follow the steps given below to open an existing document −

Step 1 − Click the File tab and select the Open option.

Step 2 − This will display the following file Open dialog box. This lets you navigate through different folders and files, and also lets you select a file which you want to open.

Step 3 − Finally, locate and select a file which you want to open and click the small triangle available on the Open button to open the file. You will have different options to open the file, but simply use the Open option.

This will open your selected file. You can use the Open Read-Only option if you are willing just to read the file and you have no intention to modify, i.e., edit the file. Other options can be used for advanced usage.

Save Document

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In this chapter, we will discuss how to save a document in Word 2010.

Saving New Document

Once you are done with typing in your new Word document, it is time to save your document to avoid losing work you have done on a Word document. Following are the steps to save an edited Word document −

Step 1 − Click the File tab and select the Save As option.

Step 2 − Select a folder where you will like to save the document, Enter the file name which you want to give to your document and Select the Save Asoption, by default it is the .docx format.

Step 3 − Finally, click on the Save button and your document will be saved with the entered name in the selected folder.

Saving New Changes

There may be an instance when you open an existing document and edit it partially or completely, or an instance where you may like to save the changes in between editing of the document. If you want to save this document with the same name, then you can use either of the following simple options −

• Just press the Ctrl + S keys to save the changes.

• Optionally you can click on the floppy icon available at the top left corner and just above the File tab. This option will also help you save the changes.

• You can also use the third method to save the changes, which is the Save option available just above the Save As option as shown in the above screenshot.

If your document is new and it was never saved so far, then with either of the three options, Word will display a dialogue box to let you select a folder, and enter the document name as explained in case of saving new document.

Move Around

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In this chapter, we will discuss how to move around in Word 2010. Word provides a number of ways to move around a document using the mouse and the keyboard.

To begin with, let us create some sample text. To create a sample text, there is a short cut available. Open a new document and type =rand() and press Enter. Word will create the following content for you −

Moving with Mouse

You can easily move the insertion point by clicking in your text anywhere on the screen. There may be instances when a document is big and you cannot see a place where you want to move. Here, you will have to use the scroll bars, as shown in the following screenshot −

You can scroll through your document by rolling your mouse wheel, which is equivalent to clicking the up-arrow or down-arrow buttons in the scroll bar.

Moving with Scroll Bars

As shown in the above screenshot, there are two scroll bars: one for moving vertically within the document, and one for moving horizontally. Using the vertical scroll bar, you may −

• Move upward by one line by clicking the upward-pointing scroll arrow.

• Move downward by one line by clicking the downward-pointing scroll arrow.

• Move one next page, using the next page button (footnote).

• Move one previous page, using the previous page button (footnote).

• Use the Browse Object button to move through the document, going from one chosen object to the next.

Moving with Keyboard

The following keyboard commands, used for moving around your document, also move the insertion point −

Keystroke	Where the Insertion Point Moves
	Forward one character
	Back one character
	Up one line
	Down one line
PageUp	To the previous screen
PageDown	To the next screen
Home	To the beginning of the current line
End	To the end of the current line

You can move word by word or paragraph by paragraph. You would have to hold down the Ctrl key while pressing an arrow key, which moves the insertion point as described here −

Key Combination	Where the Insertion Point Moves
Ctrl +	To the next word
Ctrl +	To the previous word
Ctrl +	To the start of the previous paragraph
Ctrl +	To the start of the next paragraph
Ctrl + PageUp	To the previous browse object
Ctrl + PageDown	To the next browse object
Ctrl + Home	To the beginning of the document
Ctrl + End	To the end of the document
Shift + F5	To the last place you changed in your document.

Moving with Go To Command

Press the F5 key to use the Go To command. This will display a dialogue box where you will have various options to reach to a particular page.

Normally, we use the page number, the line number or the section number to go directly to a particular page and finally press the Go To button.