mouse - MS Word 2010/2013 Cannot select text after typing

23
2013-11
  • Philip

    I have a problem that started manifesting itself a week ago. I'm using MS Word 2010 to type a mathematical document (lots of diagrams, images and, of course formulae). I noticed that I was no longer able to select text using "click and drag" with a mouse.

    I assumed it was something in the document, but I am able to work on the document without any problems on two other computers running MS Word 2010. I should add that these are "older" machines which makes editing slower, but still possible. I would, however, like to edit on my main machine - the "broken" one.

    I attempted an un-install and re-install, but the same behaviour persists. I have also upgraded the offending machine to MS Word 2013 in an effort to see if that makes a difference, but it does not.

    If I open ANY document on the "broken" machine, I am able to select and deselect text without a problem. The moment I begin typing, the ability to select text with the mouse breaks.

    I can still select things in other programs (e.g. copy and paste from web browsers, using the mouse to select text) so I'm confident it is not a hardware issue. In fact, I've used the same hardware on other machines to check.

    I have no idea where to look or what might be the problem. I would be grateful for your suggestions.

    Philip

    • Answers
  • telmer6

    Do you use Synergy? If so, that might be the problem.

    If you're using Synergy in service mode, try switching it to application/desktop mode. I found this fix here: http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/7024/odd-ps-cs5-5-problem-cant-right-click-drag-or-use-the-keyboard after encountering a similar issue in Creative Suite. On a whim I tried selecting something after typing in Word and it worked again. Might work for you too.


    • Related Question

    Why does a document in Word 2007 stop recognizing the mouse after the document loses focus?
  • user22511

    When I open a document in Word 2007, everything works fine, I can edit, highlight text, etc. However, the instant Word loses focus, when I focus back the document doesn't recognize anything the mouse does.

    The tabbed menu at the top seems to recognize the mouse but the document itself does not. I can scroll through via the scroll-wheel and I can type. However, typing just shows up where the mouse cursor last was before focus was taken away.

    I've tried clearing some word data registry keys. I've also found that some Word Add-ins can cause problems. LaserFiche is one I see mentioned a lot. As far as I can tell I have no add-ons though.

    Any ideas? It's crazy-annoying.

    UPDATE-
    - Word is the only program that has this problem
    - Typically I have Toad (Oracle DB management app), an XP virtual machine with various apps running on it, Skype, Google Talk, and maybe a handful of other programs at any given time open... Windows Media player, Outlook.
    - Yes, this happens even if nothing else is running. From a fresh restart as well.
    - I'm running Vista 64 with SP1
    - According to Windows Update, I have the latest of everything. This has been happening for a couple of months now. Just never took the time to look into because I usually never have to use word.


    • Related Answers
  • James Watt

    I experienced similar problems when I had an overheating video card.

    Is word the only program you are having problems with?

    What other programs do you have open when this happens?

    Does it happen even if nothing else is running?

    Which version of Windows are you running?

    Do you have the latest service packs and updates for both Windows and Office?

  • tcv

    Perhaps resetting the Normal template? It's called Normal.dotm and is located here: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates

    I'm also curious: If you were to anywhere on the document and drag as if to highlight a piece of text, does the text stay un-highlighted?

  • subman

    I had a document with the same symptoms, but only the one document, so maybe the problem is not the same. Anyway, I'll present my story in case you recognise anything in common.

    My document was an order form with complex tables and calculated fields. (These seem like likely candidates but turned out not to be a problem)

    When I refocussed the document I noticed that the mouse seemed to be in image/object selection mode (with an arrow pointer instead of a cursor) but would not select anything nor go back to a cursor. There was only one image in the document, I deleted it and the problem went away. I re-added the same image back in the same place and everything continued to work fine.

    The root of this may have been that the document was originally made in Word 2003 and converted to Word 2007 format.