Highlighting text with a keyboard is a useful skill when editing documents, copying information, formatting text, or working without a mouse. Learning how to highlight using a keyboard can make everyday computer tasks faster and more convenient. On Windows computers, the Shift key combined with the arrow keys can select text, while Ctrl + Shift can select entire words. On Mac computers, many of the same shortcuts work with the Command or Option keys.
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Highlight One Character at a Time
To select text one character at a time, place the cursor at the beginning or end of the text you want to highlight.
Hold the Shift key and press an arrow key to extend the selection.
- Shift + Right Arrow selects characters to the right
- Shift + Left Arrow selects characters to the left
- Shift + Up Arrow selects text toward the previous line
- Shift + Down Arrow selects text toward the next line
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Highlight One Word at a Time
If you want to select text faster, you can highlight entire words instead of individual characters.
On Windows, hold Ctrl + Shift and press the Left or Right Arrow key. This allows you to select words quickly.
- Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow selects the next word
- Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow selects the previous word
- Continue pressing the shortcut to select additional words
- Use the opposite direction if you select too much
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Highlight an Entire Line
You can highlight text from the cursor to the beginning or end of the current line.
On Windows, use Shift + Home to select toward the beginning of the line or Shift + End to select toward the end.
- Place the cursor on the line
- Press Shift + Home
- Or press Shift + End
- Adjust the selection if necessary
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Highlight a Paragraph
In applications such as Microsoft Word, you can select an entire paragraph using a keyboard shortcut.
Place the cursor in the paragraph and press Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow or Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow, depending on the direction in which you want to select.
- Place the cursor inside the paragraph
- Hold Ctrl + Shift
- Press Up or Down Arrow
- Continue pressing to select additional paragraphs
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Highlight the Entire Document
If you want to select everything in a document or text field, use Ctrl + A on Windows.
This shortcut selects all available text in the active application or document.
- Click inside the document
- Press Ctrl + A
- All available text becomes selected
- You can then copy, delete, or format it
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Highlight Text on a Mac
Mac computers use slightly different keyboard shortcuts. Shift + Arrow keys can select individual characters, while Option + Shift + Arrow keys can select words.
Command + A selects all available text.
- Shift + Arrow selects characters
- Option + Shift + Arrow selects words
- Command + Shift + Left Arrow selects toward the beginning of a line
- Command + Shift + Right Arrow selects toward the end of a line
- Command + A selects everything
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Highlight Text in Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word supports several keyboard shortcuts for selecting text. You can combine the Shift key with navigation keys to control exactly how much text is selected.
Once text is selected, you can format, copy, cut, or delete it.
- Use Shift + Arrow for precise selections
- Use Ctrl + Shift + Arrow for words
- Use Shift + Home or End for lines
- Use Ctrl + A for the whole document
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Copy Highlighted Text
After selecting text, you can copy it without using a mouse.
On Windows, press Ctrl + C. On Mac, press Command + C.
- Highlight the required text
- Press Ctrl + C on Windows
- Press Command + C on Mac
- Paste it using Ctrl + V or Command + V
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Format Highlighted Text
Once text has been selected, you can apply formatting using keyboard shortcuts supported by the application.
For example, Ctrl + B can make selected text bold, while Ctrl + I can italicize it in many applications.
- Select the text first
- Use Ctrl + B for bold on Windows
- Use Ctrl + I for italics
- Use Ctrl + U for underline
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Practice Keyboard Highlighting
Keyboard highlighting becomes easier with practice. Start with short selections and gradually practise selecting words, lines, paragraphs, and entire documents.
Using these shortcuts regularly can reduce your dependence on the mouse and make text editing faster.
- Practise Shift + Arrow
- Practise Ctrl + Shift + Arrow
- Practise Shift + Home and End
- Practise Ctrl + A
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