Can I prevent Windows apps from selecting entire words in text? 1

[JonathanMortimer]

This drives me nuts! I drag the cursor over text (say, in Outlook) but it insists on selecting entire words instead of individual characters as I want it to. Is it possible (by any means) to force Outlook and all other Windows apps to select text one character at a time (including spaces)?

Thanks!

PS I know I can go backwards to select individual characters, but to me this is extra work and like walking ten paces past my front door and then back tracking to get home.

 

[ATLMatt]

I don't know of anything off hand. I usually hold shift and press the arrow keys to select small areas of text or hold shift & Ctrl to select punctuation or space delineated "chunks" of text. I haven't seen anything in group policy editor or the registry regarding text selection, but who knows, there may be some archaic setting hidden in there somewhere.

 

[linney]

What is this talking about?



"When selecting, automatically select entire word Select this option to select entire words when you select part of one word and then part of the next word. Turning this option on also causes Outlook to select a word and the space that follows it when you double-click a word".

Editor Options (Advanced)

http://office.microsoft.com/client/...&rt=2&ns=OUTLOOK&lcid=3081&pid=CH100788811033

Text selecting entire words
thread779-720481

 

[JonathanMortimer]

Thanks for the article link Linney, although it didn't actually tell me where any of those options lived.

I found the option eventually (whoever created an options tab called "other" needs shooting), but would you know it it's the only greyed-out option there. So, how am I supposed to turn off this 'option' if it's greyed-out?

 

[linney]

I take it you are and Administrator when looking at that option.

What is the title and exact location of this option that is dimmed, if I could find it in my Outlook 2007 I would check it out to see if mine was the same, if I have it in the first place?

There is also the Microsoft Office forum to check out.

http://www.tek-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=68

 

[BadBigBen]

if I could find it in my Outlook 2007 I would check it out to see if mine was the same,

In Office 2007, that option is located in Word, since Outlook uses Word to edit emails, etc...



Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.

 

[linney]

Thanks for that Ben,

Stop Word from automatically including paragraph formatting
Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.
Click Advanced.
Under Editing options, clear the Use smart paragraph selection check box.

And look at "When selecting automatically select entire word"

 

[mscallisto]

as a side note to selecting full or partial words, you can ALSO click anywhere and with the shift key held down, (right or left) arrow to highlite as much as you want.

 

[JonathanMortimer]

Thanks all for your help on this. I eventually found the culprit thanks to Linney's post about Word - as I used Word as my email editor I checked the setting in Word Options for automatically selecting entire words - unticking that option solved my problem with Outlook.

Case closed!

 

[JonathanMortimer]

Case re-opened.

I was enjoying not having Word / Outlook selecting entire words, and then just the other day and for apparently no reason it's gone back to selecting entire words. The options in Word are set NOT to select entire words, smart paragraph selecting is off, and the option in Outlook is still unticked and greyed out.

This REALLY annoys me! Anyone got a clue how I can kick this into submission? Is there some hidden preferences file I can manually edit or a registry key?

 

[linney]

Not a solution as to "why", but maybe System Restore can resurrect the correct behavior for you?

If no one knows the registry location involved (if there is indeed one) a program like RegShot which takes a before and after view of registry entries might help?

RegShot description

"Quickly take a snapshot of your registry and then compare it with a second one"

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Registry-Tweak/Reg-Shot.shtml