Hold down the Alt key and drag with the mouse to achieve column selection; 2. Use the Alt Shift arrow key to expand the column selection area through the keyboard; 3. Use the menu Edit > Column Editor to insert duplicate content but is not suitable for any text selection. This method does not require plug-ins and is suitable for editing code, logs, or non-aligned table data, ending with Alt drag and drop as the shortcut.
To select a column of text in Notepad (also called "column mode" or "block selection"), follow these steps:

1. Use Alt Mouse Drag (Recommended)
- Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard.
- Click and drag your mouse vertically across the text you want to select.
- This creates a rectangular block selection — perfect for selecting columns, even if the lines aren't the same length.
2. Use Alt Shift Arrow Keys (Keyboard Only)
- Place your cursor at the starting position of the column.
- Hold Alt Shift , then use the arrow keys to expand the selection:
- → or ← to widen/narrow the column
- ↓ or ↑ to extend the selection up or down
3. Enable Column Mode via Menu (Optional)
- Go to Edit > Column Editor (or press Alt C ).
- This is useful for inserting numbers or repeated text into a column, but not for selecting arbitrary text.
? Tip : Column selection is super handy for:
- Editing code alignment
- Removing or copying specific parts of log files
- Working with tabular data that isn't in a spreadsheet
Just remember: Alt drag is your go-to for quick column selection. It's fast, visual, and works even if your text isn't perfectly aligned.

That's it — no plugins needed!
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