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Why can't I click and select text? I can only select one word at a time by double clicking or a whole paragraph with three clicks (Word for Mac)

Julia Freche 30 Reputation points
2025-09-17T07:09:48.6266667+00:00

I am not able to click and drag to select a few words in Word text. I can double click for one word only, or three clicks for a whole paragraph, but selecting by clicking and dragging is not happening.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435.6K Reputation points
2025-09-17T15:31:55.7566667+00:00

This is often resolved by simply restarting the Mac.

If that doesn't restore the function it suggests that applying updates is in order. Please see this existing Answer: Select Text

Also, follow the link in my reply there to see a number of other selection techniques which are far more accurate & efficient than dragging.

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  1. Julia Freche 30 Reputation points
    2025-09-18T00:59:57.71+00:00

    The magic of restarting my Mac did it!! :)

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  2. Kimberly Olaño 23,545 Reputation points
    2025-09-17T08:19:35.01+00:00

    Hello! Julia . Thanks for the details.

    Let’s quickly test whether this is Word-only or a macOS-wide issue:

    Open Notes or TextEdit (both come preinstalled on your Mac).

    Type a short sentence (e.g., “This is a test sentence.”).

    Try to click and drag across a few words.

    If dragging works → the problem is Word-specific.

    If dragging does not work → the problem is system-wide (trackpad/mouse settings or macOS accessibility).

    If it's Word-specific, go to Word > Preferences > Edit.

    Look for “Drag-and-drop text editing” → toggle it off, close Word, reopen, then turn it back on.

    This setting mainly controls moving text, but sometimes it resets the selection bug.

    See if this helps. If you need further assistance, just let me know.

    Best regards,

    Kimberly

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