Document Editing Problems

How to Select an Exact Word Without Extra Spaces in Microsoft Word

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to select an exact word, such as a password, without accidentally including additional spaces at the end of the word when swiping with a mouse or touch device.

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Selecting specific text like a long password to safely copy and paste it into a secure site or another application.
Observed behavior: Swiping to select text automatically extends the selection to the next word boundary, capturing unwanted trailing spaces alongside the required word.

Before you start

Open your Microsoft Word document and locate the exact word or password you need to copy to practice these precision selection techniques.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust Selection Using Keyboard Shortcuts

The quickest and most reliable method to remove unwanted trailing spaces from a text selection without changing global application settings.

Microsoft Word includes built-in keyboard shortcuts that allow you to modify your current text selection character by character. This is highly recommended for one-off situations where you need to copy a secure password.

Highlight the text

Swipe with your mouse or double-click to select the target word or password. By default, Word will likely grab the space after it.

Use the Shift key modifier

Hold down the 'Shift' key on your keyboard.

Reduce the selection

While holding Shift, press the 'Left Arrow' key once. This will reduce the highlighted selection by exactly one character, omitting the trailing space.

Quick Copy: Once the extra space is deselected, press Ctrl+C immediately to copy the exact password to your clipboard.

Solution 2

Disable Automatic Word Selection in Word Options

Modify Microsoft Word's default editing behavior so that clicking and dragging only selects the exact letters you highlight.

Precision Text Editing with WPS Office

Easily Select and Copy Exact Words in WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers intuitive text selection tools and customizable editing settings, ensuring you never accidentally copy unwanted spaces when managing sensitive information like passwords.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing the text you need to select.
2. Access options: Click on 'Menu' in the top left corner, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the dropdown list.
3. Adjust editing settings: Navigate to the 'Edit' tab and uncheck the 'When selecting, automatically select entire word' option.
4. Select your text: Click and drag over your password. The selection will now perfectly follow your cursor without jumping to include trailing spaces.
5. Copy securely: Right-click the exact selection and choose 'Copy' or simply press Ctrl+C.

Precise character-by-character selection controlFully compatible with Microsoft Word .docx formatsCustomizable smart selection settingsLightweight, fast, and free to use

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word automatically select the space after a word?

By default, Word enables a feature called 'smart paragraph selection' or 'automatically select entire word'. This feature includes trailing spaces in your selection to make copying, cutting, and pasting sentences easier without leaving double spaces behind in your document.

How do I select part of a word without selecting the whole word?

To select only part of a word, you can click at the starting point, hold the 'Shift' key, and click at your desired endpoint. Alternatively, you can disable the 'When selecting, automatically select entire word' setting in File > Options > Advanced.

Is there a way to turn off smart selection on Microsoft Word for Mac?

Yes. In Word for Mac, you can navigate to Word > Preferences > Edit from the top menu bar, and then uncheck the option for 'Select entire word when selecting text'.

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