Member Avatar for KevinRP

If I have no text highlighted and right click on the mouse the normal menu comes up but with cut and copy greyed out. If I highlight part of the text and right click the mouse the menu shows Move here, Copy Here. link here (greyed out) and cancel. I cannot find how to change it.

It I reinstall Office 2003 that fixes it temporarily but eventually the problem arises again

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Dani AI

Generated

Short diagnosis and targeted fixes

Right-click showing "Move here / Copy here / Link here" is the standard Windows menu that appears after a right‑button drag. That means Word is being handed a drag operation instead of a plain context‑click. Common, safe checks that isolate the cause: Word's drag‑and‑drop setting, the mouse/touchpad or ClickLock, or a corrupted global template or add‑in.

Suggested diagnostic checklist

  1. Check the keyboard context menu: press the keyboard menu key or Shift+F10 when text is selected. If that shows the normal Cut/Copy menu while the mouse shows Move/Copy, the problem is mouse/driver related.
  2. Run Word in Safe Mode to disable templates/add‑ins: 
    winword.exe /safe

    If the problem vanishes in Safe Mode, suspect Normal.dot or an add‑in.

  3. Turn off drag‑and‑drop editing in Word (Word 2003): Tools → Options → Edit tab → clear "Allow text to be dragged and dropped".
  4. Replace the global template: close Word, locate and rename Normal.dot (Word creates a new one on restart). Typical locations:
    • Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dot
    • Vista/7+: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dot
  5. Mouse and Windows settings: try a different physical mouse; check Control Panel → Mouse → Buttons for ClickLock and pointer settings (disable ClickLock). Laptop touchpad drivers can also produce tiny moves that register as drags.

Notes and followups

As noted, keeping Office updated is sensible; since reported a reinstall helps only temporarily, that behavior points toward a template/add‑in or a recurring driver/utility reapplying settings. ’s menu‑bar suggestion is a workable bypass but the checklist above addresses the root causes so the normal right‑click menu returns.

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for cguan_77

if you're not on ms office 2003,let's say you right click on an empty space on a desktop, does the option that pops up correct or not?

Member Avatar for KevinRP

The right click menu appears normal.

It shows arrange icons by
Refresh
Paste - greyed out
Paste shortcut greyed out
Undo delete
New
Properties

To my recollection these are ok.

Member Avatar for KevinRP

Thanks for the suggestion but my computer tells me I have all the updates.

Member Avatar for cguan_77

it's not an update for the windows, it's the update for Office 2003

Member Avatar for KevinRP

it's not an update for the windows, it's the update for Office 2003

I tried to download the Office 2003 update from the link you suggested but when I tried to install it the computer told me all updates had already been downloaded and installed.

Member Avatar for ayyam

my dear u can use the menu bar better for u and its contain all the commands u wants without use rigth click ..maybe take long time

Member Avatar for KevinRP

my dear u can use the menu bar better for u and its contain all the commands u wants without use rigth click ..maybe take long time

Thank you.

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