Dragging through a long Google Doc just to select the text gets tedious. Click inside the text and press Ctrl+A on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command+A on Mac. For phones, tablets, or a different way to work, use the options below.
Use the select-all keyboard shortcut
Working in Google Docs on a computer? This shortcut works in the web editor with both personal and Google Workspace accounts.
Click inside your document's text to put the focus there.
Press Ctrl+A on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command+A on Mac.
Find the command through menu search
Prefer using the toolbar? Click Search, or open Help > Search the menus.
Type Select all into the search field.
Choose the matching Select all action. Use that exact command: Select all matching text and Select all list items at current level perform different selections.
Press Enter to run the command.
If you can't open the search field with the mouse, press Alt+/ on Windows or ChromeOS, or Option+/ on Mac.
Select text on Android, iPhone, or iPad
With your document open in the Google Docs app, tap Edit to enter editing mode. The touch-selection method works on Android, iPhone, and iPad.
Double-tap a word to select it.
Move the blue selection markers to encompass the text from its beginning to its end. This selects the full text manually.
With a compatible external keyboard connected and the document text focused in editing mode, press Ctrl+A on Android or Command+A on iPhone or iPad. Android shortcuts vary with your language and keyboard.
Extend a selection from the beginning or end
Place your cursor immediately before the first character of the document text.
Press Ctrl+Shift+End on Windows, or Command+Shift+Down Arrow on Mac, to extend the selection to the end.
For the reverse direction, place your cursor immediately after the final character instead.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Home on Windows, or Command+Shift+Up Arrow on Mac, to extend the selection to the beginning.
Tip: Start at a text boundary, since starting in the middle selects only the text between your cursor and that boundary.
Drag through text without a keyboard
Word-by-word or paragraph-by-paragraph dragging gives you a mouse-only way to select the full text.
Double-click the first word and drag through the final word to extend the selection by words.
Alternatively, triple-click the first paragraph and drag through the final paragraph to extend the selection by paragraphs.
Ask Google Docs to select all by voice
Use a working microphone in desktop Chrome, Edge, or Safari, with both your account and document languages set to English.
- 1.Open your document in the browser.
- 2.Choose Tools > Voice typing. On work or school accounts, an administrator can disable this feature; if it's disabled, use the keyboard shortcut or menu search instead.
- 3.Click the microphone button.
- 4.Say Select all.
- 5.Click the microphone button again when you're finished.
Enable screen reader support for accessible selection
In the Google Docs web editor, open Tools > Accessibility settings.
Check Turn on screen reader support.
Press Enter.
Focus the document text.
Press Ctrl+A on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command+A on Mac.
Tip: On ChromeOS, Google Docs enables screen reader support automatically when ChromeVox is on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does triple-clicking alone select the entire Google Doc?
No. A triple-click selects a single paragraph.
Does Select all include every document tab and embedded element?
Don't assume one shortcut covers every text-bearing part of the document. Check each tab and review headers, footers, footnotes, tables, and embedded drawings before making a document-wide change.
Can I select text to the beginning or end with an iPad keyboard?
Google's iPhone and iPad shortcut list gives Command+Shift+Down Arrow and Command+Shift+Up Arrow for extending a selection to both paragraph and document boundaries. To select all the text with a connected keyboard, press Command+A in the Google Docs app instead.
Do I need to install anything to select all on a computer?
No. The keyboard shortcut and menu search work directly in the Google Docs web editor without additional software.