Removing Atoms from the Selection

To remove atoms from the selection by picking, you can switch into Remove mode with one of the following:

• Click the Remove from selection button on the Selection toolbar .
• Press the _ key.
• Choose Select → Pick to Select → Remove.

Picking switches to Remove mode until you exit the mode. A minus sign appears next to the pointer, to indicate that you are in Remove mode, and the Remove from selection button is highlighted. A remove button is added next to Quick Select on the toolbar.

If you pick already unselected atoms, they remain unselected, so you do not need to be careful about picking only selected atoms.

To remove predefined sets of objects from the selection, make sure Remove mode is active, then select the object in the Quick Select section of the toolbar. You can select objects in the Select Objects panel, which you open by clicking the Choose item button,

or Select → More Objects. Both standard sets and custom sets can be removed from the Selection.

The selection scope for these objects can be modified to exclude nonpolar hydrogen atoms from the selection, so only the polar hydrogens are selected. See Selecting Hydrogen Atoms for details.

To exit Remove mode, do one of the following:

• Click the Remove from selection button .
• Click the remove button next to Quick Select on the toolbar. (The remove button is hidden.)
• Press Esc or _.
• Choose Select → Pick to Select → Normal.
• Click the main Select by picking button. (Note that this also changes the draw mode for selection.)
  

  or

You can remove all atoms from the selection (clear the selection) in the following ways:

• Click the Clear selection button.
  
  
• Press Ctrl+U (⌘U).
• Choose Select → None.
• Click in an empty part of the Workspace while in normal picking mode.