# Scroll speed when highlighting with the mouse (Word 2K) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014 "2001-10-23T03:07:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/1 "2001-10-23T03:07:12Z")
I hope the topic was clear. Using the mouse to highlight a block of text is typically very easy. However, sometimes the text you are capturing extends off of the top or bottom of the screen. If you move the mouse above (or below) the window, ZOOM! you end up several pages beyond where you were. I try to just touch the top, but to no avail – ZOOM! goes the text. Ugh. Is there an option I can change that will slow it down? I’ve searched all over the net but have yet to see a solution. Thanks! Rhythmdvl Oh, I know I can use shift-arrows, the wheel, etc. to do the job, but I’d like to be able to simply use the left-click method. Again, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/2 "2001-10-23T10:53:04Z")
I also find this problem very annoying. I think I remember in previous versions of Word it was possible to speed up/slow down the scrolling depending on where you held the mouse cursor. Now it seems it is actually impossible to select, using the mouse, a block of text which includes one or more lines off the bottom of the page. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/3 "2001-10-23T12:48:08Z")
In (almost?) all Windows programs, you can select text without the mouse, and that will solve this problem. First you need to click at the beginning or end of the text you want. This establishes one end of the to-be-selected text. Then, press the Shift key, and keep it down. While it is down, you can use lots of other keys to entend your selection forwards or backwards, a little at a time or lots of text at a time. These keys include all your “arrow” keys, Page-up, Page-down, Home, and End. When you have selected what you want, copy/cut in your usual way. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/4 "2001-10-23T13:00:29Z")
Yeah, Word2k was a wonderful “upgrade.” ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/5 "2001-10-23T13:23:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rhythmdvl \* > **Oh, I know I can use shift-arrows, the wheel, etc. to do the job, but I’d like to be able to simply use the left-click method.** Do you also know the shift-click technique? Click on the beginning of the part you want to select, scroll (using the wheel, using PgUp/PgDn keys, or by dragging on the scroll bar) to the end and shift-click on the end of the section. ---
**Author:** ![aramis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@aramis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aramis)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/6 "2001-10-23T14:12:27Z")
If you’re dead set against using the keybard method, sorry. Otherwise, here’s a way that might help though. Put the cursor at one end of the block to be selected. Move the scroll bar to show the other end. Shift-click will select everything between the cursor and the point you click. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/7 "2001-10-23T14:17:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hibernicus \* > **I also find this problem very annoying.** I agree - almost as annoying as that “paperclip.” ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scroll-speed-when-highlighting-with-the-mouse-word-2k/89014/8 "2001-10-23T15:50:52Z")
The same [difficulty](http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q269/2/30.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0&qry=scroll%20speed&rnk=6&src=DHCS_MSPSS_gn_SRCH&SPR=WRD97) can be found in Word 97. Microsoft has been aware of the problem but has never decided to fix it. Instead, they blame you for having too fast a processor.