How do I highlight text on my laptop without mouse

Word has several ways to select text, depending on how much you want to select.

• To select a single word (which includes the space after it if there isn't punctuation there), press the left button twice quickly ("double-click"). The background of the text becomes gray. Also, unless you've turned it off in the Options dialog, a small toolbar (the "Mini Toolbar") appears near the text for quick formatting.

• To select a whole sentence, hold the Ctrl key down while pressing the left button once.
• To select a whole paragraph, move the cursor into the left margin next to the paragraph and double-click. It also works (but is a little trickier to time properly) to point anywhere in the paragraph and triple-click.
• To select any arbitrary amount of text, left-click once at the start of the text you want, and then hold down the Shift key while moving the cursor with the arrow keys or by dragging the mouse cursor, or point to the end of the text you want and left-click there while holding the Shift key.
• Place the cursor somewhere in the text you want to select, and press the F8 function key one or more times. Each press expands the selected area more -- word, sentence, paragraph, section, whole document.
• To select all the text in the document (but not headers/footers), press Ctrl+A.

There are additional methods for selecting part or all of a table, graphics and other objects, all text with similar formatting, and other special items.

If you're using one of the many new versions of Word on platforms other than desktop/laptop Windows computers, some of these methods may be different.

You may have a utility program for reassigning the buttons, but every laptop I've ever seen comes from the factory with the left button assigned to "left click" and the right button assigned to "right click" just like a two-button mouse. If you're left-handed you may want to switch them. However, it makes little sense to assign them to any other functions.

There are two buttons.  A person can assign what each one does.  So, to me your answer makes no sense and I'm still wondering how to do it.

Great it works!