Move, Copy, Cut & Paste, Find and Replace Text In Word Document

In this section, we will explore Microsoft Word Features on moving, copying, cutting and paste text in the word document file.

Moving Text

Sometime it is required to move a text from one location to another location in your document. You can move text from one location in a document to another by using drag-and-drop technique with the help of mouse. This tutorial will teach you how to use drag and drop technique to move a text.

How to Move Text in Document:

1. Select any part of the text using any of the text selection methods.

2. Now take your mouse pointer over the selected text and hold mouse left button and keep holding it while moving around the document.

3. Take your mouse pointer at the place where you want to move selected text and release the mouse button.

Copy & Paste Text

To use copy and paste or cut and paste text, Word Document makes store the copied or cutted text  a temporary memory which is called clipboard. When you copy or cut a text then temporarily it stayed in clipboard and in second step you can paste this content at desired location.

How to Copy & Paste

Copy will just copy the content from its original place and create a duplicate copy of the content at the desired location without deleting the text from it's the original location. Following is the procedure to copy the content in word:

1. Select a portion of the text using any of the text selection methods.

2.  At second step, you have various options available to copy the selected text in clipboard. Just use any one of the following methods which you like most:

Using Mouse Right Click: If right click on the selected text, it will display copy option, just click this option to copy the selected content into clipboard.

Using Ribbon Copy Button: After selecting a text, you can use copy button available at the ribbon to copy the selected content into clipboard.

Using Ctrl + c Keys: After selecting a text, just press Ctrl + c keys to copy the selected content in clipboard.

3. Finally click at the place where you want to copy selected text and use either of these two simple options:

Using Ribbon Paste Button: Just click paste button available at the ribbon to paste the copied content at the desired location.

Using Ctrl + vKeys: This is simplest way of pasting the content. Just press Ctrl + v keys to paste the content at the new location.

Cut & Paste

Cut operation will cut the content from its original place and move the content from its original location to a new desired location. Following is the procedure to move the content in word:

Step 1. Select a portion of the text using any of the text selection methods.

Step 2. At second step, you have various options available to cut the selected text and put it in clipboard. Just use any one of them which you like most:

Using Mouse Right Click: If right click on the selected text, it will display cut option, just click this option to cut the selected content and keep it in clipboard.

Using Ribbon Cut Button: After selecting a text, you can use cut button available at the ribbon to cut the selected content and keep it in clipboard.

Using Ctrl + x Keys: After selecting a text, just press Ctrl + x keys to cut the selected content and keep it in clipboard.

Step 3. Finally click at the place where you want to move the selected text and use either of these two simple options:

Using Ribbon Paste Button: Just click paste button available at the ribbon to paste the content at the new location.

Using Ctrl + v Keys: This is simplest way of pasting the content. Just press Ctrl + v keys to paste the content at the new location.

Find and Replace

While working on editing a document you come across a situation very frequently when you want to search a particular word in your document and many times you will be willing to replace this word with another word at all the few or all the places throughout of the document. If you need to find a particular word or phrase in your document, you can use the Find command. This command is especially useful when you are working with large files. If you want to search the entire document, simply execute the Find command. If you want to limit your search to a selected area, select that area and then execute the Find command.

Find Command

The Find command enables you to locate specific text in your document. Following are the steps to find a word document.:

Step 1. Click the Find option in the Editing group on the Home tab or press Ctrl + F tp launch the Find Dialog.

Step 2: Enter a word which you want to search in the search box “Find What”, as soon as you finish typing, click on Find Next Button to find. Word searches for the text you entered and displays the results in the navigation pane and highlight the word in the document as well as follows:

Replace Command       

The Replace command enables you to find and repace specific text in your document. Following are the steps to replace a word document.:

Step 1. Click the Replace option in the Editing group on the Home tab or press Ctrl + H to launch the Find and Replace dialog box.

Step 2: Type a word which you want to search and a word which would like to replace with in the Find and Replace. For Example Find the Word “Money” and Replace with “$$$$$”.

Step 3. Click Replace or Replace All button available on Find and Replace dialog box and you will see first occurrence of the searched word would be replaced with the replace with word. Clicking again on Replace button would replace next occurrence of the searched word. If you will click Replace All button then it would replace all the found words at once. You can also use Find Next button just to search the next occurence and later you can use Replace button to replace the found word.

Note With More >> button available on the dialog box to use more options and to make your search more specific like case sensitive, find whole word only etc. search or searching for whole word only etc.