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why does my text just disappear as I'm typing in a Word document? Where does it go, and how do I get it back??

Anonymous
2011-10-26T03:17:05+00:00

I am new to PCs, having had a Mac Laptop for years. 

 I am creating Word documents in Windows 7, Microsoft Word Starter 2010,and sometimes when I'm typing along, I guess my finger bumps some key, and the next thing you know, I've lost the entire text.  Tonight I started two different documents, hadn't even gotten 1/3 of a page on either one, and they each had the same thing happen -- the text just suddenly disappeared....

So, my questions are:1) what am I doing that makes this happen? 2) where does the text disappear to, and 3 )how do I get the back?  At least some of the time it has happened, I've been able to get the text back, but tonight, no such luck.

I way want to get this to stop, as I'm producing a lot of documents right now, I NEED HELP!   thanks, you guys, hope someone can help me out....GS

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Suzanne S Barnhill 277.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2011-10-26T04:23:15+00:00

    The most likely thing is that you tried to type a capital A and inadvertently pressed Ctrl+A instead. This is the keyboard shortcut for Select All. All the text in your document is selected, so it is wiped out with the next character you type. Ctrl+Z (Undo) will bring it back.

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  1. Suzanne S Barnhill 277.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2017-05-01T15:40:24+00:00

    This is a hardware issue, and I suspect nothing will change. The QWERTY keyboard was long ago established as standard (although some users do learn to use the Dvorak layout and find it more efficient), and any new keys have to be added around the perimeter. The way these have been added may seem haphazard (with emphasis on the "hazard"), but at this point I think the layout is established, and getting used to a new arrangement would involve a steep learning curve.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-05-01T08:13:36+00:00

    The most likely thing is that you tried to type a capital A and inadvertently pressed Ctrl+A instead. This is the keyboard shortcut for Select All. All the text in your document is selected, so it is wiped out with the next character you type. Ctrl+Z (Undo) will bring it back.

    Thank you. I have done things like that a lot. I  cannot understand how a rational thinking person could put "Control" and "Caps lock" next to the "shift" key. Those two things have cost me many hours of extra typing. I would imagine that many accomplished typists also had unexpected surprises. How can we get manufacturers to do something about their collective stupidity?

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  3. Charles Kenyon 166.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2016-03-12T15:17:34+00:00

    You are likely zooming your display with a touchpad. It happens to me frequently.

    Put two fingers on the touchpad and spread them to zoom back in.

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  4. Charles Kenyon 166.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-05-01T17:49:05+00:00

    I am one of those who learned the Dvorak keyboard. It took about 40 hours of practice and two weeks of painful headaches. After that, my speed on the Dvorak layout was at least equal to that on the QWERTY keyboard.

    The Ctrl & Alt keys are definitely a variation of the Shift key; they change the operation of other keys. The Caps-Lock key is a holdover from the Shift-Lock key on typewriters (as is the QWERTY layout).

    I feel strongly that the ability to touch-type is an essential skill, one that the presence of virtual keyboards is degrading.

    I daily use three different keyboards, and one has moved the Ctrl key further away. It is a problem, but one I get used to using it.

    I would urge Brian to learn the more useful keyboard shortcuts that involve the Ctrl and Alt keys. That should make up for the inconvenience of their inadvertent triggering.

    (I still hate the Ctrl+W close window one myself because on the Dvorak layout, it is right next to Ctrl+V with very different results.)

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