选择部分文本可以在各种情况下派上用场。无论您是需要突出显示某些文本以更好地关注它，还是想复制或剪切它以便稍后将其粘贴到其他地方，了解可以选择文本的所有方式都可以节省您宝贵的时间并提高您的工作效率。在本教程中，我们将向您展示在 macOS 上选择文本的所有不同方式，以便您在使用 Mac 时变得更有效率：
注意：(NOTE:)本指南涵盖 macOS Catalina和更新版本。我们指南中共享的功能可能不适用于旧版本的 macOS。要检查您的 macOS 版本，请阅读我有什么版本的 macOS？
如何在Mac上使用鼠标选择文本
选择文本最直接的方法是使用鼠标，这可能是大多数用户熟悉的一种方式。单击(Click)并按住以开始选择，然后拖动光标。请注意(Notice)在拖动时如何选择屏幕上的字符。选择完文本后释放。
如果您希望在移动光标时选择包括整个单词，您也可以双击并按住以开始选择，然后拖动。双击和按住的动作需要一点练习，但是如果你经常需要像我们一样选择句子的一部分，你可以从中受益。当您完成扩展您的选择以包含您想要使用的单词时释放。
提示：(TIP:)要选择文本中的单个单词，请双击它。
如果要选择多个段落，请单击三次并按住，然后您的选择将从您单击的段落开始。当您将光标拖到一个新段落时，整个段落都会包含在您的选择中。
如果您尝试选择大量文本（并且您不介意使用另一只手在键盘上），您可以先单击、双击或三次单击要选择的文本的开头，然后在选择结束时再次单击时按住 Shift键。(Shift)如上(Just)图所示，根据初始点击次数，您的选择可以精确地结束于您点击的位置、您点击的单词或您点击的段落。
如果您改变主意，并决定在选择中添加更多相邻文本，请再次按住Shift 键(Shift)，然后单击选择的任一侧。包含文本，仍然遵循第一次选择开始时的初始点击次数规则。按住Shift 键(Shift)并在所选文本内单击以从您的选择中减去字符、单词或段落。
键盘上的Option键提供了另一种选择方式。
按住键盘上的Option键，然后单击并按住(click and hold)以开始进行选择。拖动时，请注意您的选择是矩形的。当您对您的选择感到满意时释放。
如果您按住Option键，然后双击并按住(double-click and hold)，您还会得到一个有点矩形的选择。但是，在这种情况下，会选择整个单词。
您还可以将上述所有选择方法与键盘上的Command(⌘)键（在大多数键盘快捷键中替换Windows的Ctrl键）结合使用。(Ctrl)
通常，每当您在文本的单独部分中开始新的选择时，您会丢失任何以前选择的文本。如果要从同一文档中选择单独的文本部分（中间没有文本），请使用上述任何方法选择第一部分，然后按住Command(⌘)键并开始第二个选择。除了使用Shift键的方法之外，所有方法都可以在按住Command(⌘)键的同时使用以选择其他文本块。
如何使用键盘快捷键选择文本
并不是每个人都喜欢将一只手从键盘上移开来使用鼠标来选择文本，一些用户发现在 macOS 上使用键盘快捷键来选择文本更有效率。您可以使用Shift键与箭头键一起使用一个字符开始和扩展您的选择：
- 使用Shift - 右箭头(Shift - Right Arrow)快捷方式选择文本中光标位置之后的一个字符，在它的右侧。开始文本选择(text selection)后，您可以继续使用快捷方式将其扩展为一个一个包含以下字符，或者您可以同时按住两个按钮以更快地选择。
- 使用Shift - 左箭头(Shift - Left Arrow)选择文本中光标位置之前的一个字符，在它的左侧。开始文本选择(text selection)后，您可以继续使用快捷方式将其扩展为一个一个地包含前面的字符，或者您可以同时按住两个按钮以更快地选择。
- 使用Shift - 向上箭头(Shift - Up Arrow)快捷方式选择光标和上一行中最接近它的字符之间的所有内容。(character closest)开始文本选择(text selection)后，您可以继续使用快捷方式将其扩展为包括光标和最近两(character two)行之间的所有内容，依此类推。按住两个按钮可以更快地选择。
- 使用Shift - 向下箭头(Shift - Down Arrow)来选择光标和在其正下方的行上最接近(character closest)它的字符之间的所有内容。开始文本选择(text selection)后，您可以继续使用快捷方式将其扩展为包括光标和最近两(character two)行之间的所有内容，依此类推。按住两个按钮可以更快地选择。
提示：(TIP:)如果您的选择太过分，请使用Shift和相反的箭头来取消选择每个字符或行(character or row)。
如果要一次选择一个(text one)单词，请按住键盘上的Option和Shift键，然后使用左右箭头键：
- 使用Option - Shift - 右箭头(Option - Shift - Right Arrow)选择文本中光标位置之后的所有内容，直到单词的下一个结尾。再次按下它以扩展您的选择以包括下一个单词，依此类推。按住按钮可以更快地选择。
- 使用Option - Shift - 左箭头(Option - Shift - Left Arrow)快捷键选择文本中光标位置之前的所有内容，直到单词的上一个开头。再次按下它以扩展您的选择以包括它之前的单词，依此类推。按住按钮可以更快地选择。
提示：(TIP:)如果您的选择太过分，请使用Option和Shift以及相反的箭头来取消选择每个单词。
如果您需要在光标之前或之后选择与光标在同一行的文本，请按住键盘上的Command(⌘)和Shift键，然后使用左右箭头键：
- 使用Command(⌘) - Shift - 右箭头(Command(⌘) - Shift - Right Arrow)快捷方式选择光标与其所在行末尾之间的文本。
- 使用Command(⌘) - Shift - 左箭头(Command(⌘) - Shift - Left Arrow)选择光标和它所在行的开头之间的文本。
提示：(TIP:)与上面说明的其他快捷方式不同，使用Command(⌘)和Shift并使用一个箭头，然后使用相反的箭头不会取消选择文本。相反，它会扩展您的选择以包含整行。
要选择整个段落，请按住键盘上的Option和Shift键，然后使用向上和向下箭头键：
- 使用Option - Shift - 向上箭头(Option - Shift - Up Arrow)选择文本中光标位置之前的所有内容，直到它所在段落的开头。再次按下它以扩展您的选择以包括它之前的段落，依此类推。按住按钮可以更快地选择。
- 使用Option - Shift - Down Arrow快捷方式选择文本中光标位置之后的所有内容，直到它所在的段落末尾。再次按下它以扩展您的选择以包括下一个段落，依此类推。按住按钮可以更快地选择。
提示：(TIP:)如果您的选择太过分，请使用Option和Shift以及相反的箭头来取消选择每个段落。
您可能需要选择文档的开头或结尾。为此，请按住键盘上的Command(⌘)和Shift键，然后使用向上和向下箭头键：
- 使用Command(⌘) - Shift - 向上箭头(Command(⌘) - Shift - Up Arrow)快捷键选择光标和文档开头之间的文本。
- 使用Command(⌘) - Shift - 向下箭头(Command(⌘) - Shift - Down Arrow)选择光标和文档末尾之间的文本。
提示：(TIP:)使用Command(⌘)和Shift与一个箭头，然后与相反的箭头不会取消选择文本。相反，它会扩展您的选择以包含整个文档。
最后但并非最不重要的是，Command(⌘) -(Command(⌘) - A)快捷方式选择文档的全部内容，您可以从用于在 macOS 上编辑文本的程序的“编辑(Edit)”菜单中执行相同的操作，如下一节所示。
如何使用应用程序的编辑菜单选择文本(Edit menu)
为了创建本教程，我们使用了Notes和Pages -用于在 macOS 上处理文本的默认应用程序。(default apps)虽然在大多数情况下，您在使用文本编辑器时必须依靠鼠标和键盘来选择文本，但在其“(mouse and keyboard)编辑”(Edit) 菜单中有一个命令值得(menu worth)一提。它称为Select All，它允许您选择文档的全部内容，包括所有文本。打开程序的Edit菜单，然后单击Select All。
选择文档的全部内容。
提示：(TIP:)全选(Select All)命令也可用于选择文件夹的全部内容。我们提供了有关以 5 种方式在Mac上(Mac)剪切(Cut)、复制(Copy)和粘贴(Paste)文件和文件夹的方式选择文件和文件夹的更多信息。
您更喜欢哪种选择文本的方式？
由于您花时间阅读整篇文章，我们假设您经常使用文本，因此您可能也有兴趣学习在Mac上(Mac)剪切(Cut)、复制(Copy)和粘贴文本(Paste text)的 5 种方法。当我第一次开始使用Mac时，我选择文本的技巧仅限于使用鼠标。但是，随着时间的推移，每当我需要在我的Mac(Mac)上选择文本时，我都会开始同时使用鼠标以及一些键和键盘快捷键。你呢？你用什么舒服？您是否(Did)从我们的教程中学到了任何新技巧？你知道在 macOS 上选择文本的其他方法吗？在下面发表评论(Comment)，让我们讨论。
The complete guide to selecting text on your Mac
Selecting pоrtions of text can come in handy in a variеty of situаtions. Whether you need to highlight some text to better focus on it, or want to copy or сut it in order to paste it somewhere еlse later, knowing all the ways you can select text can save you precious time and enhance your productivіty. In this tutorial we show уou all the differеnt ways you can select text on macOS, so you can become more efficіent when you use your Mac:
NOTE: This guide covers macOS Catalina and newer. The features shared in our guide may not work on older versions of macOS. To check your macOS version, read What version of macOS do I have?
How to select text on a Mac using the mouse
The most straightforward way to select text is by using the mouse, and it's probably one most users are familiar with. Click once and hold to start your selection, and then drag your cursor. Notice how the characters on your screen are selected as you drag. Release when you are done selecting your text.
You can also double-click and hold to start your selection, and then drag, if you want your selection to include whole words as you move the cursor. The action of double-clicking and holding takes a bit of practice, but if you often need to select parts of a sentence, as we do, you can benefit from it. Release when you are done extending your selection to include the words you want to work with.
TIP: To select a single word in a text, double-click on it.
If you want to select multiple paragraphs, triple-click and hold, and your selection starts with the paragraph you are clicking on. When you drag the cursor to a new paragraph, that entire paragraph is included in your selection.
If you are trying to select huge chunks of text (and you don't mind using your other hand on the keyboard), you can first click, double-click, or triple-click at the beginning of the text you want to select, and then hold down the Shift key while clicking again at the end of your selection. Just as illustrated above, depending on the number of initial clicks, your selection can end precisely where you clicked, with the word you clicked on, or with the paragraph you clicked on.
If you change your mind, and you decide to add more adjacent text to your selection, hold down the Shift again, and click on either side of your selection. The text is included, still following the rules of the initial number of clicks when the first selection was started. Hold down Shift and click within the selected text to subtract characters, words, or paragraphs from your selection.
The Option key on your keyboard offers another way to select.
Hold down the Option key on your keyboard, then click and hold to start making your selection. As you drag, notice that your selection is rectangular. Release when you are satisfied with your selection.
If you hold down the Option key, and then double-click and hold, you also get a somewhat rectangular selection. However, in this case, entire words are selected.
You can also combine all the methods for selecting illustrated above with the Command(⌘) key on your keyboard (which replaces Windows' Ctrl key in most keyboard shortcuts).
Normally, whenever you start a new selection in a separate section of your text, you lose any previously selected text. If you want to select separate sections of text from the same document (without the text in between), select the first section, by using any of the methods above, then hold down the Command(⌘) key and start your second selection. All methods, except the one using the Shift key, can be used while holding down the Command(⌘) key to select additional chunks of text.
How to select text using keyboard shortcuts
Not everyone likes taking one hand off their keyboard to use the mouse for selecting text, and some users find it more productive to use keyboard shortcuts for text selection on macOS. You can use the Shift key together with the arrow keys to start and extend your selection with one character:
- Use the Shift - Right Arrow shortcut to select one character following your cursor's position in the text, to the right of it. After starting a text selection, you can continue using the shortcut to extend it to include the following characters one by one, or you can hold down both buttons for faster selection.
- Use Shift - Left Arrow to select one character before the cursor's position in the text, to the left of it. After starting a text selection, you can continue using the shortcut to extend it to include the previous characters one by one, or you can hold down both buttons for faster selection.
- Use the Shift - Up Arrow shortcut to select everything in between your cursor and the character closest to it on the line directly above. After starting a text selection, you can continue using the shortcut to extend it to include everything in between your cursor and the closest character two rows up, and so on. Hold down both buttons for faster selection.
- Use Shift - Down Arrow to select everything in between your cursor and the character closest to it on the line directly under it. After starting a text selection, you can continue using the shortcut to extend it to include everything in between your cursor and the closest character two rows down, and so on. Hold down both buttons for faster selection.
TIP: If you go too far with your selection, use Shift together with the opposite arrow to deselect each character or row.
If you want to select your text one word at a time, hold down the Option and Shift keys on your keyboard, and use the right and left arrow keys:
- Use Option - Shift - Right Arrow to select everything after your cursor's position in the text, until the following end of a word. Press it again to extend your selection to include the next word, and so on. Hold down the buttons for faster selection.
- Use the Option - Shift - Left Arrow shortcut to select everything before your cursor's position in the text, until the previous start of a word. Press it again to extend your selection to include the word before it, and so on. Hold down the buttons for faster selection.
TIP: If you go too far with your selection, use Option and Shift together with the opposite arrow to deselect each word.
If you need to select text on the same line as your cursor, either before or after it, hold down the Command(⌘) and Shift keys on your keyboard, and use the right and left arrow keys:
- Use the Command(⌘) - Shift - Right Arrow shortcut to select the text between your cursor and the end of the row it is on.
- Use Command(⌘) - Shift - Left Arrow to select the text between your cursor and the beginning of the row it is on.
TIP: Unlike the other shortcuts illustrated above, using Command(⌘) and Shift with one arrow and then with the opposite one does not deselect text. Instead, it extends your selection to include in it the entire row.
To select entire paragraphs, hold down the Option and Shift keys on your keyboard, and use the up and down arrow keys:
- Use Option - Shift - Up Arrow to select everything before your cursor's position in the text, until the beginning of the paragraph it is in. Press it again to extend your selection to include the paragraph before it, and so on. Hold down the buttons for faster selection.
- Use the Option - Shift - Down Arrow shortcut to select everything after your cursor's position in the text, until the end of the paragraph it is in. Press it again to extend your selection to include the next paragraph, and so on. Hold down the buttons for faster selection.
TIP: If you go too far with your selection, use Option and Shift together with the opposite arrow to deselect each paragraph.
You might need to select the beginning or the end of your document. To do that, hold down the Command(⌘) and Shift keys on your keyboard, and use the up and down arrow keys:
- Use the Command(⌘) - Shift - Up Arrow shortcut to select the text between your cursor and the beginning of your document.
- Use Command(⌘) - Shift - Down Arrow to select the text between your cursor and the end of your document.
TIP: Using Command(⌘) and Shift with one arrow and then with the opposite one does not deselect text. Instead, it extends your selection to include in it the entire document.
Last, but not least, the Command(⌘) - A shortcut selects the entire contents of your document, and you can perform the same action from the Edit menu of programs used for editing text on macOS, as seen in the next section.
How to select text using an app's Edit menu
To create this tutorial, we used Notes and Pages - the default apps used for handling text on macOS. While most of the times you have to rely on your mouse and keyboard to select text when using text editors, there is one command in their Edit menu worth mentioning. It is called Select All, and it allows you to select the entire content of your document, including all the text. Open your program's Edit menu and click on Select All.
The entire content of your document is selected.
TIP: The Select All command can also be used to select the entire contents of a folder. We included more information about selecting files and folders in 5 ways to Cut, Copy, and Paste files and folders on a Mac.
Which way to select text do you prefer?
Since you spent time reading this entire article, we assume you work with text a lot, so you might also be interested in learning 5 ways to Cut, Copy, and Paste text on a Mac. When I first started using a Mac, my skills for selecting text were limited to using the mouse. However, in time, I started using both my mouse and a number of keys and keyboard shortcuts whenever I need to select text on my Mac. What about you? What are you comfortable using? Did you pick up any new tricks from our tutorial? Do you know any other ways to select text on macOS? Comment below and let's discuss.
