Content

• Steps

The fastest way to select all content in the current window is to click Ctrl+A (Windows) or ⌘ Command+A (Mac). Also you can use the menu Edit (Edit) in most windows to select all. The following article shows how to choose it all in some popular computer programs, and mobile devices like Android and iPhone.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Windows

Windows Explorer

1. 

   Use keyboard shortcuts. Press Ctrl+A to select all objects in the directory. This also selects all the icons on the screen if there is focus.
   • This keyboard shortcut also works on most Linux operating systems.

2. 

   
   
   Use the "Select All" button. In Windows 8, click the "Select All" button on the Windows Explorer Home tab to select all objects in the displayed folder. If your version of Explorer has an Edit menu, you can find "Select All" in it. advertisement

Word and other programs

1. 

   Use keyboard shortcuts. Press Ctrl+A to select all text and all other objects in the text. Any formatting changes will be applied to all selected text.
   • The headers and footers will not be selected when you use the Select All command.
   • Keyboard shortcuts are useful for almost any program including selectable objects.

2. 

   
   
   Use the Edit menu. For older versions of Word, click Edit and then click "Select All". In the new version of Word, find the Editing section on the Home tab, click the Select button, and then click "Select All". advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Mac OS X

Finder

1. 

   Use keyboard shortcuts. Press ⌘ Cmd+A to select all objects in the directory. This also selects all the icons on the screen if there is focus.

2. 

   Use the Edit menu. For the active Finder window you want to select all objects, click the Edit menu at the top of the screen. Click "Select All" to select all objects in the current directory. advertisement

Word and other programs

1. 

   Use keyboard shortcuts. Press ⌘ Cmd+A to select all text and all other objects in the text. Any formatting changes will be applied to all selected text.
   • The headers and footers will not be selected when you use the Select All command.
   • Keyboard shortcuts are useful for almost any program including selectable objects.

2. 

   Use the Edit menu. If you don't want to use keyboard shortcuts, you can access "Select All" from the Edit menu. Click the Edit menu at the top of the screen, then click "Select All" to select all objects in the current directory. advertisement

Method 3 of 3: Mobile devices

Android

1. 

   Press and hold the desired text. After a period of time, the menu will appear. Each app has a different menu, but Android usually has a standard text selection bar that appears above the screen.
   • Click the "Select All" button. The button has the shape of four small squares assembled into a large square surrounded by dotted lines.
   • Other programs include own manipulation. For example, in Google Drive, the "Select all" button appears right next to the cursor after you long press the text.
   • This action has no effect on app icons.
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iPhone / iPad

1. 

   Press and hold the desired text. After a few moments, the menu will appear right next to where you press your finger. Click "Select All" to select the entire text.
   • This action has no effect on app icons.
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