If you have data that you want to display in a row-and-column format within a Word document, the quickest way to set this up is to enter the data with a tab that separates each item in a row. You can then adjust your tab stops to ensure that all the columns line up neatly.

This works great, except when you later decide that you need to format one of the columns. For example, if the items in the first column are headings, you might want to make them bold or a different color. Unfortunately, if you try any of Word’s regular textselection techniques, you’ll find it impossible to select a single column because Word is set up to select only regular text horizontally.

One solution is to convert the text to a table, which enables you to select any column by clicking the top edge of the column. This works, but it may not be an ideal solution for you. For example, many page layout programs don’t understand Word’s tables, so in such a case you’d need to convert your table back to regular text. You can avoid table conversion altogether by employing a useful trick that enables Word to select text vertically. Follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the Alt key.
2. Move the mouse pointer slightly to the left of the topmost item in the column you want to select.
3. Click and drag the mouse down and to the right. As you drag, Word selects text vertically.
4. When you’ve selected the text you want, release the mouse button and release Alt.

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