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Thursday, August 19, 2010 8:46 PM
My cursor changes to a hand and will not allow me to select any text in a message, can't copy or paste, hand just tries to grab things. It changes to a hand when I move over the text or html message.
Friday, August 20, 2010 3:33 AM
Hi,
First, I suggest you start Outlook in safe mode [hold ctrl key while startup] to see this issue is caused by some add-ins. If it works fine in safe mode, try to disable add-ins. How to do this, see here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/enable-or-disable-add-ins-in-office-programs-HA010034127.aspx
Also try to check the setting of "Select" under Editing tab in toolbar.
"Select All"
"Select Objects"
"Select All Text with Similar Formatting"
Try to click on each one of three and play around with cursor in the body of text.
Hope it helps.
Friday, August 20, 2010 2:33 PM
Thanks for trying. I have looked at several other forums and it seems this is a reoccurring problem with many users, and some include word as being effected.
1. No add-ins installed
2. rebooted and all updates are installed, still the hand is there.
3. hand is animated like a hand closing when I click left mouse, menu for right mouse click
4. safe mode makes no diff
5. select menu only one option is avail, select all
Any other ideas? all are welcome
Saturday, July 9, 2011 8:32 AM | 17 votes
If you are in Outlook 2010, press escape. This should allow you to select text again. Not sure if the issue is a sticky key or not....
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 9:21 PM | 1 vote
That worked! I never would have thought of that. It's been driving me crazy for a couple of weeks now! Any idea what turns it on?
Friday, September 27, 2013 10:39 PM | 7 votes
There is a very basic solution for this, when you open the email you will see at the top of the scroll bar there is a small hand icon. Clicking this hand icon turns it ON (its very easy to accidently do). Simply click it again and it turns the 'hand grab' function off.
The idiot above who suggested to start your machine in safe mode blah blah blah is a moron.
Friday, December 5, 2014 11:01 AM
Hii... I tried add ins and staff but press ESC key worked
Thanks
Thursday, June 4, 2015 1:26 AM | 1 vote
Hi ! Tried the Esc key on 8.1 and it worked fine. Also saw the hand icon on the top of the scroll bar and turned the hand on and off as case101 stated.
Sunday, October 30, 2016 5:44 PM
KUDOS to you Solderman57! Your workaround worked in my Microsoft Office Word 2010 document (running in Windows 10).
I know that your workaround of pressing ESC (escape) to return to an insertion cursor after your insertion cursor spontaneously changes to a grabbing hand cursor was posted in 2011, but ESC worked for me in 2016 also! I had never had this spontaneous cursor changing problem until one of the recent Windows 10 updates caused the problem to appear in my Microsoft Office Word 2010 documents. Prior to using your suggested ESC option, I had to save my document, close it and reopen it to get the insertion cursor back.
This spontaneous cursor changing should not happen in a professional product and should have been fixed by now -- years later.
Friday, February 17, 2017 11:27 PM
Sorry, in the last couple of hours - on 10.something, it has happened to me - and really winds me up.#tried Control Panel.
No effect.
Tried Esc.
No effect.
What is it the Microsoft folk are one?
Fireball XL5
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 7:58 PM
yup. happened here too and I've spent the last 2 hours trying to undo this. it showed up on my computer without warning. I hate it and it won't go away. I have tried resetting the cursor preferences and every other suggestion Mr. Google and the tech world has suggested and NOTHING GETS THAT OBNOXIOUS HAND OFF!! HELP!!!!!! Not only that, but the stupid thing flickers and won't go away. It's across all my activities... word, different browsers etc. I've disabled every extension and add on, gone to different programs etc. without luck. Windows 10. Any suggestions are MOST WELCOME!!
Wednesday, June 28, 2017 6:50 AM
Maybe this will help?
https://www.msoutlook.info/question/184
Wednesday, July 5, 2017 4:51 AM
Simply click on Esc key on keyboard and back to life!
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 12:35 PM
THANK YOU! This is exactly what happened for me. I accidentally hit the hand at the top of the scroll bar on the email (which says "turn on panning hand" if you hover over it). You can hit this button again (which says "turn off panning hand" at that point), or you can press Esc. Very helpful. Thank you!
Saturday, October 7, 2017 6:46 AM
This worked. Thank you :)
Monday, October 8, 2018 1:31 PM
Your suggested solution worked for me.
Thanks
Sunday, July 19, 2020 11:43 PM
My cursor changes to a hand and will not allow me to select any text in a message, can't copy or paste, hand just tries to grab things. It changes to a hand when I move over the text or html message.