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How to Remove Hidden Data from Office 2007 Documents
Estimated time to complete: Less than 5 mins
Microsoft Word 2007 allows for the tracking of changes, comments and revisions within a document. Even after you accept any changes and save the final version, the document still contains hidden data, or metadata, that can reveal more information than you wish to share. This could include: comments, revision marks from tracked changes, versions, document properties and personal information, headers, footers, watermarks, hidden text and custom XML data.
This procedure describes how to use the Document Inspector to identify both hidden and
non-hidden data. You can choose to delete data, like comments, from the final version, and keep what is integral to the final version, like formatting.
This page is derived from information on the Microsoft Office online Web site. Please see http://office.microsoft.com for additional information.
Before You Proceed:
These Security Shorts are intended for non-technical users who manage their own computers. If your computer is managed by an IT department, you may wish to contact your IT administrator for further assistance.
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What’s in this document
How to Remove Hidden Data from Office 2007 Documents
Step 1: Check Your Document
Frequently Asked Questions
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Step 1: Check Your Document
- Open the Microsoft Word document you want to inspect.
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
 in the upper left corner. Point to Prepare, then click Inspect Document.
- The Document Inspector dialog box appears. Check the boxes beside the information you want to check for. Click Inspect at the bottom of the dialog box.
- A new Document Inspector box appears. Review the inspection results. Click Remove All next to the items you wish to eliminate.
| Note: |
Typically you will want to remove Comments, Revisions, Versions, and Annotations. There may be some information that you wish to retain in the final version, like formatting, for example, headers and footers. |
- Click Reinspect or Close.
Frequently Asked Questions:
| Q: |
How do I get rid of my tracked changes and comments? |
| A: |
By accepting or rejecting the changes and deleting the comments.
- the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click the down arrow next to Show Markup.
- Make sure a check mark appears next to each of the following items:
Comments
Ink Annotations
Insertions and Deletions
Formatting
Reviewers (Point to Reviewers and make sure that All Reviewers is selected.)
If a check mark does not appear next to an item, check the box to select it.
- In the Review tab, in the Changes group, click Next or Previous.
Do one of the following:
In the Changes group, click Accept.
In the Changes group, click Reject.
In the Comments group, click Delete.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all the tracked changes in the document have been accepted or rejected and all the comments have been deleted.
| Note: |
If you know that you want to accept all the changes, click Accept, and then click Accept All Changes in Document.
If you know that you want to reject all the changes, click Reject, and then click Reject All Changes in Document.
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| Q: |
How do I find hidden changes and comments? |
| A: |
In the Document Inspector dialog box, select the check boxes to choose the types of hidden content that you want to be inspected. |
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