Select multiple objects in tablet mode

[Jeff H]

Is there is a way in tablet mode to select multiple, specific elements that I've drawn on a page in Word? With the keyboard I can do it with Shift + Click or Ctrl + Click. I can also use Home > Select > Select Objects when the keyboard is connected. But in tablet mode neither of these methods works. (Also tried Select > Selection Pane with no luck.)

I'm running Windows 10 on a Surface Book, using Word 2016 via Office 365.

Thanks,
- Jeff

[HansV]

I hope that someone will prove me wrong, but as far as I know, Word in tablet/touch mode does not have this capability.

[Jeff H]

Ugh! I was afraid of that. I hope you're right, that someone can prove you wrong ... though I don't think that happens much.

Thanks for your reply.

- Jeff

[Rudi]

What happens if you tap and hold on the first item and then while holding down on the first item, tap on the other items to select them too?
Alternatively, is it possible to activate an on-screen keyboard. If so, you can activate the CTRL or SHIFT key and while in that mode, select multiple items.

The above is theory? I cannot test as I do not have access to this mode.

Good luck!

[HansV]

Rudi, tap and hold on the first object, then tapping another object doesn't work - at least not in Word for Android.

[Rudi]

Rudi, tap and hold on the first object, then tapping another object doesn't work - at least not in Word for Android.

OK. I got the info from this article. (Maybe it will work on a PC in tablet mode??)

[HansV]

I read elsewhere that it works in PowerPoint, but - contradicting the article in your link - not in Word or Excel. I don't have a Windows tablet though, so I cannot verify it myself.

[Jeff H]

I read the article then tried it on my Surface Book without the keyboard. As Hans says, it works in Power Point, but only with inserted shapes, not with shapes I've drawn with the pen. And I couldn't get it to work in Word for either type of shape. (I'm on Office 2016 and the article was about Office 2013.)

I found it interesting that the action (select) is on the touch-up event. In other words, it's really: touch, then touch and hold, because the object isn't selected until you lift your finger. But the subsequent touches do multi-select inserted objects in Power Point.

Anyway, thanks for the effort, gentlemen. I guess this answers my question.

[Jeff H]

Here's a follow up:
I just found out from Zixuan Yuan on the Microsoft Community Forum, that there is a specific on-screen keyboard where Shift + Touch will select multiple objects (both inserted and drawn) in Word in tablet mode. It's the only one with two Ctrl keys. It's available from Settings > Ease of Access > On-screen Keyboard. In the input selection box in tablet mode, it's the icon on the far right of the first row.

[HansV]

Thanks for the update! Very useful.

[Rudi]

Glad you can right.