Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Inserting the Edit Time.

Inserting the Edit Time

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 22, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021

Word keeps track of how long you work with a file. You can see this information on the Statistics tab of the Properties dialog box. As far as Word is concerned, the cumulative time you have the file open is considered the editing time for the document. You can insert this time, in minutes, in your document by using the following steps:

Position the insertion point where you want the editing time inserted.
Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
Click the Quick Parts tool (in the Text group) and then click Fields. Word displays the Field dialog box.
Choose Date and Time from the Categories list. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Field dialog box.

Select EditTime from the list of available fields.
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (400) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Inserting the Edit Time.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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