Use the "Spike" Feature in Microsoft Word to Copy and Paste Text

Microsoft Word has a hidden feature that most people probably don't know about: a way to collect text on the clipboard from multiple locations, and then paste it all at once into your document.

The Help Desk Geek blog details how this feature works: You start by selecting a block of text, and then use Ctrl+F3 to copy it to the "Spike". Once you've selected a number of entries this way, you can then paste the combined set of copied text back into the document with the Ctrl+Shift+F3 shortcut key combination, or by typing the word "spike" and hitting F3.

This trick actually uses Microsoft Word's Quick Parts feature which we've covered before, but this entry is automatically created behind the scenes. It's a useful trick that could come in handy the next time you're reformatting a long document.

Use the Spike to Copy and Paste Text in Word [Help Desk Geek]

Send an email to How-To Geek, the author of this post, at lowell@lifehacker.com.