Microsoft KB Archive/106478

Cannot Delete Selected Space Following Punctuation

PSS ID Number: Q106478 Article last modified on 11-15-1994

6.00 |6.00

WINDOWS |Macintosh

= SYMPTOMS =

If you select a space following punctuation (such as a comma [,], period [.], question mark [?], or colon [:]), Word for Windows may not delete the space when you press DELETE or BACKSPACE or if you choose Clear from the Edit menu.

The same thing happens if you try to delete a nonbreaking space that follows punctuation.

For example, if you select the space following “cats,” in the following text and press DELETE, Word may not remove the space:

cats, dogs and birds

= CAUSE =

Word does not delete a selected space following punctuation if the “Use Smart Cut and Paste” option is selected in the Edit options dialog box. By contrast, if this space is not selected, you can delete it. (To locate the “Use Smart Cut and Paste” option, choose Options from the Tools menu and select the Edit tab.)

= STATUS =

We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

= WORKAROUNDS =

When the “Use Smart Cut and Paste” option is selected, use one of the following procedures to delete the space that follows punctuation:

  Do not select a space following punctuation if you want to delete it. Instead, position the insertion point before the space and press DELETE or choose Clear from the Edit menu. -or-   Position the insertion point after the space and press BACKSPACE. -or-   Select the punctuation and the space, delete both, and then retype the punctuation. 

= REFERENCES =

“Microsoft Word User’s Guide,” version 6.0, Chapter 2, “Typing and Revising,” “‘Smart’ Cutting and Pasting” section

KBCategory: kbusage kbprg KBSubCategory: Additional reference words: winword macword

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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1994.