Adding a Hidden Tool in Word

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated August 26, 2020)

In Word 2003 there is a toolbar button that controls formatting text as hidden. Click it once and the text is hidden; click it again and it is unhidden. That tool is no longer available on the Home tab of the ribbon in later versions of Word. However, you can add this button to the Quick Access toolbar.

The trouble is, in Word 2003 and earlier the Hidden tool indicates whether the selected text is hidden or not, the same as the Bold and Italic tools do. In Word 2007 and later versions, the Hidden tool, when added to the Quick Access toolbar, behaves differently; it doesn't show the state of whatever text you have selected.

This discrepancy in behavior may make you wonder if there is a way to make the Hidden tool in Word 2007 and later versions act like the Hidden tool in Word 2003. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that this is possible. If it is any consolation, however, hidden text, if displayed on the screen, should show with a small dotted underline. This makes it easy to pick out which of your text is formatted as hidden and which isn't.

That being said, it seems inconsistent for the Hidden tool to behave differently than similar formatting tools, such as the Bold and Italic tools. Perhaps Microsoft will make the behavior more consistent in future versions of the program.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9535) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Office 365.

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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What is four minus 4?

2016-03-15 10:44:43

I imported it from word 2003 along with a number of other customised commands in a toolbar. It showed up in word 2007 add-ons tab. Sorry cant remember how I did it and cant recall if it highlighted when active (it got lost in a PC crash some time ago).

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