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General discussion

Microsoft Word cut, paste and copy commands

Oct 6, 2004 1:47AM PDT

We are novices and still learning some basic abilities of our computer.

We are trying to organize our files. We would like to place related files which are all under "My documents" into folders.

We access the file in which we want to move to a folder and click on "edit". The commands for "paste", "copy" and "cut" are faded and we cannot access these commands.

How else can we organize our files into folders? Is there a way of accessing these commands besides "edit" and on the toolbar (the commands are also faded and inacessible on the toolbar).


Thank you

Jim and Pat

Discussion is locked

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Re: Microsoft Word cut, paste and copy commands
Oct 6, 2004 2:14AM PDT

A few reasons.

1. Such will be greyed out if nothing is "selected".

2. There is some SPYWARE that causes this. But try resolving item 1 first.

3. To rearrange files, you may want to use Windows Explorer and not Word.

Bob

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Re: Microsoft Word cut, paste and copy commands
Oct 6, 2004 2:46AM PDT

Assuming you have "Drag and Drop" enabled (Left click on "Start". Move pointer to "Settings", then to "Control Panel", then to "Task and Start Menu", then left click. This will open "Task and Start Menu Properties". Left click on the "Advanced Tab". Make sure "Enable Draging and Dropping" is selected/checked then left click on "Apply" then left click on "OK".)


To simply place one folder into another you should be able to left click on the folder to be moved, hold down the left click move the mouse pointer to the target folder and release the left click.

Holdong down the Contol/Ctrl key during this process will cause the folder to be copied.
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To use "Copy and Paste" You must first highlight the text/item to be copied (left click and drad the mouse pointer accross the text/item to be copied.

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Re: Microsoft Word cut, paste and copy commands
Oct 6, 2004 4:55AM PDT

I am having difficulty in understanding just when you are seeing these commands. It sounds like you are opening the document in Word and then expecting to see a command to cut, copy and paste that entire document to another location. If I am wrong, then please excuse my confusion.

While it is possible to open a Word doc and then place a copy of the opened document, (and actually others - but that is another subject) to another location, that is not the best, nor expected, way of doing so.

Do not open a document to copy or relocate that same document.
Instead use Windows Explorer. A simple, and probably less confusing method to the novice, is to open two windows of the folders concerned (the source and the destination folder). Then just click and drag an object, from one to the other.

Special note here: IF those two folders are on DIFFERENT DRIVES, then this procedure will, by default, just make a copy of the object in the destination location.
If the two folders are on the SAME DRIVE then this procedure will MOVE the selected object.
Addendum to that special note) You can always override the default copy or move action by
additionally holding down the SHIFT key to MOVE,
or the CTRL key to COPY.