Correct Your Document
Word has two typing modes: Insert and Overtype. Insert mode (the default) lets you insert text as you type. This means that you can position your insertion point anywhere inside a block of text and begin typing, and the new text will be inserted before the existing text.
Use Overtype mode to type over existing text. To switch to Overtype mode, press the Insert key on your keyboard. Notice that OVR appears in black on the status bar at the bottom of Microsoft Word.
To switch back to Insert mode, press the Insert key again.
Tip:
You can also switch between Insert and Overtype modes by double-clicking OVR on the status bar.
It’s often easier, however, to simply select the text you want to replace and then type over it. You don’t need to switch to Overtype mode to do this, and remaining in Insert mode ensures that you don’t inadvertently replace text you meant to keep.
You can select text using your mouse or keyboard:
- To select text using your mouse, click and drag the mouse over the entire portion of text you want to select.
Tip:
To select an entire word, simply double-click the word. Click the word a third time to select the entire paragraph.
To select a line of text, click outside the left margin of the line. You can continue to select text, line by line, by holding down the mouse button and dragging to the end of the text you want to select.
- To select text using your keyboard, position your insertion point at the beginning of the text, press and hold the Shift key, and then use the arrow keys to move to the end of the text.
Selected text appears highlighted in black.
To delete selected text, use either the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard. You can also use these keys to delete one character at a time, without selecting a block of text:
- The Backspace key deletes the character to the left of the insertion point.
- The Delete key deletes the character to the right of the insertion point.
