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Now that you know every single way ever invented to select text, what do you once you’ve grabbed it? Move text -either to another place in the current document, into a new document, or even into a different program (an email, for example)—is a popular option. Here’s what you need to know to move text happen.

If you’re moving text to a spot close to its current location, the quickest route is to start by selecting the text you want and then letting go of the mouse button. Next, with the mouse pointer over your selection (anywhere over the highlighted region is fine), click and hold down the mouse button. The mouse pointer becomes an arrow with a small square at the bottom. Still holding the mouse button down, move the mouse pointer to the text’s new location. Let go of the mouse button, and the text you selected jumps to the new spot. It might sound complicated, but it’s simple once you try it out.

Note to Move Text:

Behind the scenes, Word lets you move text in this (and plenty of other) ways by temporarily placing the text on the Clipboard, a holding area that stores tex t you’ve cut or copied so you can insert it somewhere else. When you copy text, the original selection remains in place, but Word places an exact copy of it on the Clipboard. When you cut text, Word deletes the selection and puts a copy on the Clipboard. When you insert text from the Clipboard somewhere else, you’re pasting that text.

Word gives you several other ways to move text around. Some use the mouse; others use the keyboard. Try them out for yourself and see which works best for you.
Option 1: Use the Ctrl key
A super-fast, super-easy way to move text is to select the text you want, and then use one of these keyboard shortcuts:
• Ctrl+C to copy.
• Ctrl+X to cut.
Then move the cursor to the place where you want to insert the text, and press Ctrl+V to paste it there.
Option 2: Right-click your mouse
After you’ve selected the text you want to move, right-click your mouse. From the menu, select Cut (if you want to delete the selection from its current spot) or Copy (if you want to keep the selection where it is).
Next, position the cursor at the selection’s new location. Right-click to bring up the shortcut menu again. Here you have three options for pasting:
• Keep Source Formatting.
Choose this if you want the pasted text to keep its original formatting (font, size, and so on).
• Merge Formatting.
If you want the text to match the formatting of the text where you’re pasting it, then this is the option you want.
• Keep Text Only.
Choose this if you want to paste words—and only words— without any fancy formatting. Keep Text Only strips out any images, as well as headings, hyperlinks, and styles. Lists and tables get converted to regular paragraphs. You end up with words and paragraphs that have the same formatting as the document you’re pasting into.
Option 3: Use the Home tab
This option is for folks getting paid by the hour; it works, but it sure does take time. To copy or cut text using the ribbon, select the text you want to move and then click the Home tab . In the Home tab’s far-left Clipboard section, click Cut (which looks like a pair of scissors) or Copy (which looks like two sheets of paper). If you prefer, you can press Alt, H, X to cut and Alt, H, C to copy. Word copies your selection to the Clipboard.
Next, place the cursor where you want the text to appear. On the Home tab, click Paste (Alt, H, V). A button appears; click it to choose the formatting option you want: Keep Source Formatting (K), Merge Formatting (M), or Keep Text Only (T). Word applies your choice as it pastes in the selection.
Tip:
If you don’t want to choose one of these options every time you paste, click File?Options (Alt, F, I) to open the Word Options dialog box. There, choose Advanced and, in the “Cut, copy, and paste” section, turn off the checkbox labeled “Show Paste Options button when content is pasted.” Click OK.
Option 4: Use the Clipboard pane
Word keeps track of the text you’ve copied or cut—up to 24 different selections—by placing it on the Clipboard. You can f ind any of these snippets on the Clipboard, and from there paste the text into your document. Say you’re creating a program for a conference, and you’re copying names from a list of speakers and pasting them into the sessions where they’ll be speaking. You copy Anne Adams and paste her name into Session 1, and then go on to copy and paste the speakers’ names for Sessions 2 and 3. When you get to Session 4, you see that Anne Adams is scheduled to speak again. You can open the Clipboard, find her name, and paste it in f rom there.
To find text you’ve put on the Clipboard, click the Home tab and, in the far-left Clipboard section, click the pop-out icon in the section’s bottom-right corner (it’s just after the word “Clipboard”). Or press Alt, H, FO. Doing so opens the Clipboard pane. The pane shows text you’ve placed on the Clipboard by cutting or copying. Put the cursor where you want to insert the text, and then find what you want to insert (you may have to scroll down in the Clipboard pane to find it). As you move the mouse pointer over each snippet on the Clipboard, a downward-pointing arrow appears to its right. Click the arrow beside the snippet you want. When you do, two options appear:
• Paste.
Click to paste the selection into the document at the insertion point you chose.
• Delete.
Click to remove the text from the Clipboard.

Now you know how to move text in four ways.

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