Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Embedding Your Phone Number in a Document.

Embedding Your Phone Number in a Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 11, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365


Microsoft Word is used quite extensively in corporate environments to create a wide array of documents. It is often desirable to know exactly who created a document, particularly if it has been months since a document was last reviewed. In the document properties Word keeps track of some data that can be used to help identify an author. One piece of data that could be very helpful is the phone number of the document's author. To specify a phone number, follow these steps if you are using Word 2010 or a later version:

  1. Click the File tab of the ribbon and make sure that Info is selected at the left side of the screen.
  2. Click the Properties drop-down list and choose Advanced Properties. Word displays the Properties dialog box for the document.
  3. Make sure the Custom tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Custom tab of the Properties dialog box.

  5. In the list of properties at the top of the dialog box (listed in the Name control), choose Telephone Number.
  6. In the Value box, enter the phone number you want associated with the document.
  7. Click on Add.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Close the Document Information Panel.

If you are using Word 2007 the steps are a bit different:

  1. Click the Office button, then click Prepare, and then Properties. Word displays the Document Information Panel at the top of your document, just below the ribbon.
  2. Use the Document Properties drop-down list (top-left corner of the Document Information Panel) to choose Advanced Properties. Word displays the Properties dialog box for the document.
  3. Make sure the Custom tab is displayed.
  4. In the list of properties at the top of the dialog box (listed in the Name control), choose Telephone Number.
  5. In the Value box, enter the phone number you want associated with the document.
  6. Click on Add.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Close the Document Information Panel.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6830) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Embedding Your Phone Number in a Document.

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. ...

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