MS Word on iPad OS 26 Will Not Select Text

Question

MS Word on iPad OS 26 Will Not Select Text

Anthony Hunter 85

Word for iPad on iPad OS 26 will not select text with the mouse or trackpad on my iPad Air M3 13 Inch. Text selection works in every other app on the device except Word. I have had to resort to using Word in the web browser to overcome the issue. Hopefully, a fix is coming. I am running iPad OS 26.01.

E. Fuentes 10 Reputation points

2025-11-02T19:45:07.7733333+00:00

Please solve this… Touch selection works it’s just the track pad and mouse that doesn’t work.
Jason Moussourakis 10 Reputation points

2025-11-05T18:26:14.61+00:00

Have the exact same issue please fix this ASAP
Emily Rosten 10 Reputation points

2025-11-09T18:33:48.5066667+00:00

Yes, same problem. Please fix!
Holden McGowin 5 Reputation points

2025-11-21T18:16:17.09+00:00

Pllllease fix
Denis Mulder 5 Reputation points

2025-11-24T08:45:48.9633333+00:00

Same issue
Shameem Oozeerally 0 Reputation points

2025-11-24T14:18:50.6433333+00:00

Same issue here. I rely heavily on Office 365 via the institution. Office has been full of bugs since the Ipad OS 26 update. I hope this will be solved soon.
Nick L 0 Reputation points

2025-11-25T08:07:19.0766667+00:00

I have been having the same issue on iPad Pro M4 11” running iOS 26. An incredibly important function. Absolutely ridiculous that this is not being addressed.
L. Smith 0 Reputation points

2025-12-18T19:04:08.1166667+00:00

Same issue and it is very frustrating
Walker Frizzell 0 Reputation points

2025-12-19T21:35:21.67+00:00

I have also encountered this issue on iPad. It makes Word almost unusable on an external monitor and frustrating on the iPad itself with a trackpad. iPads are at the point now where the Word app should be functionally equivalent to the desktop or web versions, but it continues to lack even this basic feature. Absurd.
Anonymous

2025-12-21T06:03:03.13+00:00

Still broken as of December 2025.. ridiculous, please address this.
Jonathan 0 Reputation points

2025-12-22T07:59:10.7166667+00:00

22nd Dec and still the same. Word is unusable. Please do something Microsoft. What gives? Multiple updates in last month, and still no fix.
Eleanor Smears 0 Reputation points

2026-01-14T16:01:14.3266667+00:00

I agree! I need to use word for a lot of my university work and struggle with this. Notability and other such apps do not have these issues. It is highly inconvenient
Sue 0 Reputation points

2026-01-21T20:19:51.9233333+00:00

I have this problem too.
Jon 'Mojo' Mills 10 Reputation points

2026-02-09T22:53:21.6633333+00:00

And still. It’s the same. Four updates since my last comment. What gives?
Julie Brown 0 Reputation points

2026-02-15T17:05:41.0833333+00:00

Same!!! Just updated to ipad 26 and literally same wont select text. February 2026
Darya 0 Reputation points

2026-02-28T16:11:00.85+00:00

As of Feb 2026, this issue persists. This really needs fixing ASAP. I’m not clear on why this is only happening on iPad when on other apple products it works just fine.
Amélie Dinnin 5 Reputation points

2026-03-13T14:50:20.4433333+00:00

It’s finally working again !!!!!

7 answers

Your answer

E. Fuentes 10 Reputation points

2025-11-02T19:45:07.7733333+00:00

Please solve this… Touch selection works it’s just the track pad and mouse that doesn’t work.
Jason Moussourakis 10 Reputation points

2025-11-05T18:26:14.61+00:00

Have the exact same issue please fix this ASAP
Emily Rosten 10 Reputation points

2025-11-09T18:33:48.5066667+00:00

Yes, same problem. Please fix!
Holden McGowin 5 Reputation points

2025-11-21T18:16:17.09+00:00

Pllllease fix
Denis Mulder 5 Reputation points

2025-11-24T08:45:48.9633333+00:00

Same issue
Shameem Oozeerally 0 Reputation points

2025-11-24T14:18:50.6433333+00:00

Same issue here. I rely heavily on Office 365 via the institution. Office has been full of bugs since the Ipad OS 26 update. I hope this will be solved soon.
Nick L 0 Reputation points

2025-11-25T08:07:19.0766667+00:00

I have been having the same issue on iPad Pro M4 11” running iOS 26. An incredibly important function. Absolutely ridiculous that this is not being addressed.
L. Smith 0 Reputation points

2025-12-18T19:04:08.1166667+00:00

Same issue and it is very frustrating
Walker Frizzell 0 Reputation points

2025-12-19T21:35:21.67+00:00

I have also encountered this issue on iPad. It makes Word almost unusable on an external monitor and frustrating on the iPad itself with a trackpad. iPads are at the point now where the Word app should be functionally equivalent to the desktop or web versions, but it continues to lack even this basic feature. Absurd.
Anonymous

2025-12-21T06:03:03.13+00:00

Still broken as of December 2025.. ridiculous, please address this.
Jonathan 0 Reputation points

2025-12-22T07:59:10.7166667+00:00

22nd Dec and still the same. Word is unusable. Please do something Microsoft. What gives? Multiple updates in last month, and still no fix.
Eleanor Smears 0 Reputation points

2026-01-14T16:01:14.3266667+00:00

I agree! I need to use word for a lot of my university work and struggle with this. Notability and other such apps do not have these issues. It is highly inconvenient
Sue 0 Reputation points

2026-01-21T20:19:51.9233333+00:00

I have this problem too.
Jon 'Mojo' Mills 10 Reputation points

2026-02-09T22:53:21.6633333+00:00

And still. It’s the same. Four updates since my last comment. What gives?
Julie Brown 0 Reputation points

2026-02-15T17:05:41.0833333+00:00

Same!!! Just updated to ipad 26 and literally same wont select text. February 2026
Darya 0 Reputation points

2026-02-28T16:11:00.85+00:00

As of Feb 2026, this issue persists. This really needs fixing ASAP. I’m not clear on why this is only happening on iPad when on other apple products it works just fine.
Amélie Dinnin 5 Reputation points

2026-03-13T14:50:20.4433333+00:00

It’s finally working again !!!!!

Answer 1

Danielle Guerrero 20

That was happening to me just today. I was trying to select the text on a word document on my iPad that just recently got updated to version 26. It was so frustrating driving me crazy. So i looked online to see different work arounds for this. Then AI said that iPad version 26 does have the text select capability for WORD but that there were several users reporting issues with this. AI said to hold on the text for 2-3 seconds before selecting texts. So i attempted this on my word document and it WORKED!! It actually worked. It’s not instant or as fast as before but it’s honestly not that slow.. you just have to wait a sec or two clicking on the text you want to start from and then you can select the rest as you did before. Best of luck and thanks for your above comments!

Jon 'Mojo' Mills 10 Reputation points

2026-02-12T06:26:24.2166667+00:00

The question is, why are the other Offics apps fine? Will try soon all the same. Thanks.
Jon 'Mojo' Mills 10 Reputation points

2026-02-12T07:18:01.46+00:00

Yes. That works. This may be the method. It prob won’t change.
N Nicolas 0 Reputation points

2026-03-04T04:44:08.93+00:00

Thank goodness for this, thanks for sharing! Worked for me too! Has been driving me crazy since my iPad updated last night.

Answer 2

Charlie Currie 20

November 2025 and this issue is still not fixed. If it were up to me, I would leave MS Office altogether but it is required for my job. Microsoft is holding my iPad hostage at this point.

0 comments

Answer 3

Jon 'Mojo' Mills 10

It does work actually. I saw elsewhere. You just need to hold down for two or three seconds before dragging.

Andriy Yakovliev 5 Reputation points

2026-03-08T17:13:21.7+00:00

Thanks - it works, but it’s ridiculous in 2026 to use instant feature with “special” technic 🙄
Jonathan 0 Reputation points

2026-03-08T17:19:35.67+00:00

Very true. Numerous more updates and still the same. Microsoft seem to hate Apple.

Answer 4

Amélie Dinnin 5

jan and it’s still not working 😭

0 comments

Answer 5

sabe002 5

I am unable to use any mouse for this. It works in Power Point though.

0 comments