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April 17, 2008 12:00 AM

Microsoft Word Trick Helps Users Move Content

Windows IT Pro
InstantDoc ID #98907
Rating: (4)

My assistant was working on a document, and I happened to walk past her desk as she was fine-tuning the list of topics. When you're working on technical documentation, much of the fine-tuning involves reorganizing topics to make sure you're introducing information in a logical order (for instance, it's not good technical writing to tell readers how to print a database report before you tell them how to enter data in the database).

The document was several pages long, and the topic list was a series of single-spaced paragraphs. Moving a listing meant selecting the paragraph, cutting it, finding the appropriate location for the paragraph, creating a blank line to make room, and pasting the paragraph.

Because I'm extremely lazy, I'd found a better way many years ago. I can move a list item (or any paragraph) to a new place in a Microsoft Office Word document without selecting, cutting, making room in the new location, and pasting.

I put my cursor anywhere in the paragraph I want to move and then I press and hold the Alt + Shift keys (in that order; press the Alt key first and hold it, then press and hold the Shift key). While holding these keys, I use the Up or Down Arrow keys to move the entire paragraph to any location in the document. As I move through the document with the arrow keys, Word makes space between existing paragraphs, and closes that space if I keep moving. When I land where I want to, I haven't interfered with the layout of paragraphs.

This works with bulleted lists, of course, and it also works with numbered lists (using the Word numbering function), because the numbers automatically reset so you don't end up with listing number 5 coming before listing number 3 after you've rearranged the list. I've used this shortcut successfully in Microsoft Word 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000.

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Comments
  • Ron
    4 years ago
    Apr 25, 2008

    Excellent tip! I'm sharing it (with full props) with my tech writer colleagues. I couldn't help pushing the envelope by trying it with a selection of multiple paragraphs and rows. Works that way, too! Thanks again.

  • Perez
    4 years ago
    Apr 24, 2008

    Thanks Kathy for sharing your discovery, it will help make editing easier.

  • Caroline
    4 years ago
    Apr 18, 2008

    Hi stalar. Thanks for the additional info. I'm Kathy's editor and I always love trying her tips--this one was especially cool. Didn't think about trying right and left arrows, however--thanks for mentioning them!
    Caroline

  • Lars
    4 years ago
    Apr 18, 2008

    Thanks for a simple but useful tip. It also moves table rows. Just for the record, there is no difference between Shift+Alt and Alt+Shift.

    I couldn't resist trying Shift+Alt with the right and left arrow keys. There is an improvement from Word 2003 to Word 2007. Both demote or promote headings. W07 indents or outdents body text up to the left margin, then promotes it to heading.

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