Introduction

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Use the insertion point

The insertion point

The insertion point—also called a cursor—is the blinking line in your document that indicates where text is inserted when you type. There are several ways to move an insertion point.

The I-beam shows where your mouse pointer is. The blinking insertion point shows where your next word will be once you start typing.

When you are in a Word document, your pointer changes from an arrow () to an I-beam ().

Once the pointer leaves the Word document to perform a Windows function, it changes back into an arrow ( ).

Notice the line that indicates the end of your document. You cannot move your insertion point below this line.

Moving the insertion point

To move the insertion point:

• Use your mouse to move your insertion point anywhere within the document. Move your mouse until the I-beam is where you want your insertion point to be and click.
  
  OR
• Use your arrow keys to move your insertion point up, down, left, or right. These movements move your insertion point one space or line at a time. This method is especially useful if you only need to move a few spaces or lines back in a document to make a correction.
  
  OR
• Hold the Control key and press the up or down arrow keys to jump up or down a paragraph at a time.
  
  OR
• Press Page Down (PgDn) to jump down the document one window at a time.

Challenge!

• Notice the insertion point at the beginning of the document.
• Using the methods described in this lesson, test the insertion point's ability to move.