How to use Word’s Spike tool to cut and paste multiple passages at once

Hardly any text is perfect in its first version. Whether you’re drafting an email, report, or article, revising is inevitable. You’ll need to rephrase sentences, trim wordy sections, and smooth out those transitions. Instead of using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to cut and paste each part individually, Microsoft Word offers a lesser-known feature called Spike. Spike acts as a special clipboard that allows you to collect multiple elements, store them, and then paste them all at once in a new location. Here’s how it works: Select the first passage you want to move and press Ctrl+F3. Repeat this for each additional section you’d like to gather. Then, when you’re ready to paste everything, press Shift+Ctrl+F3—this inserts all the collected content from the Spike in one go. IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo Tip: You can also use a trick to convert the “multiple cut” action into a “move” instead of just a copy-paste. This helps you stay efficient while restructuring your text.

Jun 20, 2025 - 06:50

How to use Word’s Spike tool to cut and paste multiple passages at once

Hardly any text is perfect in its first version. Whether you’re drafting an email, report, or article, revising is inevitable. You’ll need to rephrase sentences, trim wordy sections, and smooth out those transitions. Instead of using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to cut and paste each part individually, Microsoft Word offers a lesser-known feature called Spike.

Spike acts as a special clipboard that allows you to collect multiple elements, store them, and then paste them all at once in a new location.

Here’s how it works:

Select the first passage you want to move and press Ctrl+F3. Repeat this for each additional section you’d like to gather. Then, when you’re ready to paste everything, press Shift+Ctrl+F3—this inserts all the collected content from the Spike in one go.

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

Tip: You can also use a trick to convert the “multiple cut” action into a “move” instead of just a copy-paste. This helps you stay efficient while restructuring your text.