To select all on a Mac or MacBook, click inside the text area or file list you want to select, then press Command + A. Hold Command, press A, then release both keys. This selects content in the active area in apps that support Select All, so where you click first matters.
The short version
- Main shortcut: Activate the text area or file list and press Command + A.
- Menu alternative: Activate the target area, then choose Edit > Select All when available.
- Selection scope: The command applies to the active area or list, rather than every file on your Mac or every item in a web account.
- Exclude files: After selecting all, hold Command and click each file you want to leave out.
| Method | Use it for | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Command + A | All text or items in the active area | Activate the correct area first |
| Edit > Select All | Selection through the menu bar | The command must be available and enabled |
| Shift and click in a file list | A continuous range of files | Use the first and last items in an ordered list |
| Drag a selection rectangle | Files in Finder Icon view | Start in empty space beside the files |
| Command and click | Files that are not adjacent | Click each required item |
| Select all, then Command and click | Everything except a few files | Click the items you want to exclude |
| Drag across text | Text passages, PDFs, or recognized image text | The text must be selectable |
| Shift and click in Pages | Text between two endpoints | Stay within one text area |
| Command + A twice in Notes | An entire table | Start inside a table cell |
| Sticky Keys | Entering the shortcut one key at a time | Enable it in accessibility settings |
Select all text in a document or text field
Click inside the document body or text field, then press Command + A. In a supported browser text field, this selects that field's contents.
In Word for Mac, click in the document body and press Command + A. If your next task is formatting, continue with the steps to double space a Word document or create columns for selected text.
Pages also uses Command + A, but focus determines whether you select text or objects. Place the insertion point inside a text box or table cell when you want to select its text. Activate the document instead when you want the command to apply at the document level.
Select all files in a Finder folder
Open the folder containing the files you need, click its window to activate the file area, then press Command + A. This selects the items in that folder's list. It does not select every file on your computer.
To leave a few files out, keep the selection active, hold Command, and click each unwanted item. You can also build a selection from the start by holding Command and clicking each required file. The files do not need to be next to one another.
Use the Select All menu command
Activate the text area or item list, then open Edit in the menu bar and choose Select All. This lets you select content without holding two keys together. The app must offer an enabled Select All command for the active area.
If the command is missing or disabled, click inside the intended text area or file list and check the menu again. If that target still does not offer the command, use dragging or individual selection where supported.
Select a range with your mouse or trackpad
In an ordered file list, click the first item you need, hold Shift, then click the last item. This selects the continuous range between those endpoints. To encompass the whole list, use its first and last items.
For Finder Icon view, drag a selection rectangle around the files you need. Start in empty space beside the items, hold the mouse or trackpad button, and drag over every required item before releasing. Use rectangle dragging here if selecting a range with Shift and clicking does not give you the selection you want.
To select text by dragging, place the pointer before the first character, hold the mouse or trackpad button, and drag through the last required character before releasing. In Pages, you can instead click before the first character, scroll to the endpoint if necessary, then hold Shift and click after the final character. The Pages endpoint method can span paragraphs or pages, but the selection must stay within one text area.
Select content in Notes Photos and Google Drive
In Notes, place the cursor outside a table and press Command + A to select the entire note. Inside a table cell, the shortcut selects that cell's contents. To select the entire table from inside a cell, press Command + A twice.
In Photos, open the collection or album you need, activate the thumbnail area, then press Command + A. The selection applies to the current view. Hold Command and click individual thumbnails to exclude them.
In Google Drive on the web, open the folder or results view, focus the items view, and press Command + A. To focus that view with the keyboard, press Option + G, release the keys, then press I before using the selection shortcut. Google describes the selection scope as visible items, so this is not an account-wide selection command.
Select text in a PDF or image
Open the PDF in Preview, choose Tools > Text Selection, then drag across the text you need. PDF selection depends on selectable text, document restrictions, the tool, and the view. Do not assume Command + A will select text across every page of every PDF.
For text contained in an image, Preview supports selection through Live Text on supported Macs and in supported languages and regions. Open the image and drag across the recognized text. If you cannot select it, choose Tools > Text Selection, then try dragging again.
Fix selection problems and use accessible alternatives
If the shortcut selects the wrong content, click the exact area you want and press Command + A again. A selection limited to one field, cell, or text box can be the expected result of that area's focus. Move the insertion point to the document body or activate the file list to change the target.
If holding the keys together is difficult, open Apple menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and turn on Sticky Keys. Activate your target, press and release Command, then press A.
If you cannot use a physical keyboard, click the text or file area to activate it, then choose Edit > Select All from the menu bar.
If the app itself is unresponsive, see the steps to force quit a Mac app. If you need to retrieve missing Word content before selecting it, see the options to recover an unsaved Word document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Control plus A select all on a Mac?
No, Control + A is not the standard Mac Select All shortcut. Apple's text editing shortcuts assign it to moving to the beginning of a line or paragraph.
Can double clicking or triple clicking select an entire document?
Double clicking selects a word, and triple clicking selects a paragraph. Neither is a general method for selecting a whole document.
Can you expand a selection gradually in Word for Mac?
Yes, click in the document and press F8 repeatedly to expand the selection through a word, sentence, paragraph, section, and document. Use Fn + F8 when needed to send the function key. Press Esc to stop extending the selection.
What does Select All do in Terminal?
Pressing Command + A in the active Terminal window or tab selects terminal text. It does not select filesystem files or act as shell command line editing.
How do you select all text with VoiceOver?
With VoiceOver enabled, navigate to and interact with the text area, then press Control + Option + Shift + A using the default VoiceOver modifier. You can also use Caps Lock as the default VoiceOver modifier, giving you Caps Lock + Shift + A. The selection stays within the VoiceOver cursor's scope.
Can you select all text across linked text boxes in Pages for iCloud?
Yes, click within the linked text box thread to place the insertion point, then press Command + A. This selects text in the active thread.