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Deleting paragraphs/sentences in Word on new Mac 2020

On my last Mac, when using word, if I wanted to delete a paragraph or sentence, I'd highlight it and hit the delete button, and it would delete. Simple. With the new Mac 2020, it doesn't happen...simply doesn't work. Does someone know how to delete a paragraph/sentence, without holding the darned delete button down like it's 1992 or somethin'? :)

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Mar 25, 2021 10:13 PM

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6 replies

Mar 26, 2021 1:20 PM in response to PinkSlip

Log into another vanilla admin user account, Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac and see if the problem persists. (This tells us if the problem is limited to your user account or is system wide).


Next boot into Safe Mode according to Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support and see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and check again.


NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 10 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files


Also Have you installed or run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up" or anti-virus apps on your Mac?


Mar 26, 2021 9:56 AM in response to PinkSlip

I doubt you will find many others who have this issue because it's a basic aspect of using a Mac (or a PC for that matter). However there are some troubleshooting steps you can take to find the cause:


Open other programs like MS-Powerpoint or Textedit. Does the same incorrect behavior persist? If Textedit also has the issue, then contacting Microsoft would not be helpful. If only Office software has the issue, then I would contact Microsoft.


Log out and log in to a new user. (You can create one if you don't have another user account.). If the problem is gone, it is in one of your local user settings. If it persists, it is a computer-wide setting.


You can explore the Keyboard settings in System Preferences, and also Accessibility settings. I looked briefly and did not see anything obvious to check, but systematically going through these might be helpful and you may find the culprit, if it is a Mac setting, which it probably is.


Other steps you can take: reset SMC and reset NVRAM. If one of these were corrupted, it could cause odd hardware behaviors, and this involves your keyboard.

Deleting paragraphs/sentences in Word on new Mac 2020

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