Using ALT key to select rectangular block of text

[editprod]

In past versions of Word, I've always use the ALT key and hold down the
left mouse button to marquee select a vertical rectangular block of
text. I'm now using Word 2003 on Windows XP, and when I try to ALT-drag
select text it instead triggers an online reference book search. Did
Microsoft change the key combination to marquee select blocks of text?
Or do I have to do something in a certain sequence to activate the text
selection instead of the search thing?

 

[mpt]

I never knew this option was available. I tried it in Word 2003 and it
works fine.

I pressed and held Alt then highlighted with left mouse button and then
pressed ctrl-c.

Worked like a charm.

Thanks.

Richard

 

[editprod]

It's very handy, especially to highlight a bunch of space characters at
the beginning of sentences in one swoop.

Testing some more, I now find that Alt-drag works correctly in a new
document...but not in the original, older one. The only thing unusual
about the olderr document is that it contains several document-specific
macros. Perhaps I've got something in the multi-step macros that
overrides Worr'd default ALT-marquee default.

If it's just this document, I can live with it. I was concerned that
Microsoft dropped or changed the function.