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Word Can't Select Between Lines

Fahreza Dhia 40 Reputation points
2025-10-21T02:34:03.0866667+00:00

Its been a while since i used Word and today, i wanted to write something on Word but something changes and i did not remember changing anything since the last time i used word. So every time i press enter, shift enter, or type until making a new line, those lines acted like different document(?). I can not select using mouse drag to select between lines. I also can't even use ctrl + A to select all.

I tried using shift + arrow to select between lines and it worked but i did not see anything blocked but there are lines blocked. I tried screenshoting and it gave me a multiple selected lines.

I hope i could post videos to make my issue clearer.

Is there a way to make Word normal again?

https://imgur.com/a/zzKfRqd

Here's the example. Its like there's invisible block.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For business | Windows
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  1. Vivian-HT 15,865 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-22T04:19:16.5333333+00:00

    Dear @Fahreza Dhia,

    Thank you for your update!

    Because the problem affects all new/blank documents, shows normal ¶ markers (no frames), and text is technically selected but the selection highlight is invisible, this points to a rendering/UI issue rather than document formatting.

    Therefore, I recommend you try some steps here:

    Step 1: Toggle Office theme & page color

    Some themes make the highlight nearly invisible.

    • File > Account > Office Theme > switch between Colorful / White / Dark Gray / Black.

    Step 2: Windows Accessibility color settings

    • Settings > Accessibility > Color filters
    • Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes
    • If you use third‑party display tools, disable them and retest.

    Step 3: Update Graphics driver

    Even if Office repair didn’t help, graphics drivers can. The selection highlight is drawn via GPU.

    • Identify GPU: Device Manager > Display adapters.
    • You can update your graphics driver via the Device Manager by right-clicking your graphics adapter and selecting "Update driver," or using the manufacturer’s software.

    Other recommendations:

    • Caret thickness: Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor > reset defaults.
    • Create a new Windows user profile temporarily; if selection is visible there, the issue is in your current profile’s settings (Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account). Please follow the Microsoft instruction here Manage User Accounts in Windows

    I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

    Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

    I'm looking forward for your reply.

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  1. Stefan Blom 340.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-21T12:33:48.1566667+00:00

    Yes, it doesn't display the select but it paste correctly. At least roughly because i can not see what's been selected.

    Thanks for the follow-up. These symptoms indicate that you may need to update the video driver on your system. Try the PC manufacturer's support site.

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  1. Stefan Blom 340.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-21T09:13:15.3866667+00:00

    Having a File tab on the ribbon and having a Mailings tab are signs that you have the full Windows version.

    Are you able to select a text range if you click at the start of the range you want to select and then hold the Shift key as you click where the selection should end?

    To rule out a display issue, try copying (Ctrl+C), even if the selection seems not to be correct. Open a new document and paste. Does that include everything you intended to select, even though the selection didn't display properly?

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  2. Stefan Blom 340.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-21T08:32:27.4733333+00:00

    Try the basics first. Restart your computer (especially important if you haven't done it in a while).

    Which version of Word (Office) are you using? The full version for Windows? Or are you using the web based version?

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  3. Vivian-HT 15,865 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-21T04:00:54.56+00:00

    Dear @Fahreza Dhia,

    Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Based on what I see and your description, the issue is likely caused by text boxes or frames being inserted instead of normal paragraphs. Each block acts like a separate container, which explains why:

    • Drag-select with the mouse doesn’t work across blocks.
    • Ctrl + A only selects inside one block.
    • Shift + arrow works because it moves through objects sequentially.

    Before giving you the best solution, could you please confirm these questions below to help me diagnose the issue more effectively: 

    • Was this document created from scratch in Word, or copied from another source (e.g., PDF, website, template)?
    • Does this happen in all Word documents or only in this specific file?
    • Which version of Word are you using (e.g., Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word Online)?
    • When you enable Show/Hide (¶), do you see any markers like [Frame] or text box outlines?
    • Are you using a custom template or the default Normal.dotm template?

    In the meantime, here are some streps I recommend you try while waiting for investigating:

    Step 1: Check for Text Boxes

    • Go to Home > Select > Select Objects.
    • If you see a border around each section when selected, those are text boxes.
    • To fix:
      • Copy the text from each box.
      • Paste it into the main document body (outside any text box).
      • Delete the text boxes.

    Step 2: Draft View

    • Switch to Draft View: View tab > Draft.
    • Go to Home > Paragraph > Show/Hide (¶) to reveal hidden formatting.
      • Remove Frames: If you see [Frame] markers, select the text and remove the frame: Right-click the frame > Format Frame > Remove Frame.
      • Copy the text to the new blank document: Select all text (use Ctrl + A in Draft View) > Copy and paste into a new blank document > Ensure you paste as Keep Text Only (right-click > Paste Options or Ctrl + Shift + V).
      • Check Section Breaks: Go to Layout > Breaks and remove any unnecessary section breaks that might isolate content.

    Step 3: Replace the Normal.dot or Normal.dotm global template file

    You can prevent formatting, AutoText, and macros that are stored in the global template file from affecting the behavior of Word and any documents that you open. To do this, replace the global template file.

    To rename the global template file, follow these steps:

    • Exit all Office programs.
    • Type cmd in the Search box (in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 8) or in the Start Search box on the Start menu (in earlier versions of Windows), and then press Enter.
    • At the command prompt, type the following command, as appropriate for the version of Word that you are running, and then press Enter: ren %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dotm OldNormal.dotm
    • At the command prompt, type exit, and then press Enter.
    • Start Word.

    If Word starts correctly, you have resolved the problem (a damaged global template file).

    If the problem is not resolved, restore the original global template file (see below), and then go to the next option to Restore the original global template file.

    For more information, please refer to Restore the original global template file

    Step 4: If the issue still persists, please follow these troubleshooting steps via the Microsoft Official Guide here that guide how to troubleshoot problems that may occur when you start or use Microsoft Word: Troubleshoot problems that occur when you start or use Word

    I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

    Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

    Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

    I'm looking forward for your reply.

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