Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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: Removing Author Information.

Removing Author Information

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 19, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

As you write a document in Word, there is a lot of information that is stored with the document that can identify you as the author. Your name is stored in comments, properties, tracked changes, and any number of other places. Collectively, this information is often referred to as metadata, although the term can apply to far more than just information that identifies the author. (Metadata can include any non-document related information that is stored with the document itself.)

There are several ways you can try removing identifying information from a document. Perhaps the most successful method is to convert your document to a plain text file, and then load it back into Word. The huge drawback to this suggestion, of course, is that you not only lose the metadata, but you lose all formatting in the document.

Another possibility is to convert your document to RTF format. RTF (rich text format) is a file format that allows you to maintain most formatting, but all of the document attributes are stripped out. Another benefit is that the RTF file can be loaded by almost any other word processor besides Word, which means that the document becomes more portable than the original Word document. A drawback is that RTF doesn't handle files well if they are complex in nature, such as containing complicated tables and Word-peculiar formatting, such as having double borders or double underlines.

Word includes a feature called the Document Inspector that allows you to examine the metadata in a document and delete any of it that you want to delete. If you're using Word 2007, display the Document Inspector by clicking the Office button, Prepare, and then Inspect Document. If you're using Word 2010 or a later version, display the File tab of the ribbon, click on Check for Issues, and then select Inspect Document from the drop-down menu. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Document Inspector.

The Document Inspector can check out different areas of your document for metadata. (How many areas it can check varies depending on the version of Word you are using.) Make sure that the checkboxes in the Document Inspector reflect the areas you want checked, then click Inspect Document. Those areas are checked and the Document Inspector shows you what it found. You can then remove any of the metadata in each of the inspected areas.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8231) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Removing Author Information.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Adding a Statement Showing an Automatic Row Count

If you want to add a dynamic statement to a worksheet that indicates how many rows are in a data table, you might be at a ...

Discover More

Printing Only Non-Blank Worksheets

If you have a workbook containing many worksheets, you might want to print only those worksheets that have some sort of ...

Discover More

Creating Documents that Don't Use Embedded Fonts

Creating a PDF file from a Word document is easier than it used to be. Getting that PDF to contain exactly what you want ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Understanding Sections

Sections are handy if you want to subdivide a document so you can apply different document formatting to those ...

Discover More

Selecting Tabs in Dialog Boxes

Dialog boxes normally present information in a series of tabs. If you want to move from tab to tab without taking your ...

Discover More

Unwanted Font in Draft View

Word supports different ways of viewing your document as you work with it. One of those views, Draft, can use a specific ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two minus 0?

2024-09-01 07:19:11

Dan

This is a good tip. It is important to know, though, that the Document Inspector does not remove all possible metadata types from documents. For instance, if you include pictures in your document, the picture metadata will be retained in the file! this could include identifying info as well. (for instance, if you took the picture in your home with geotagging enabled) Third-party tools like BatchPurifier can remove even the embedded picture metadata.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.