Remove personal data from Word documents
Related Videos: How to Remove Hidden Data and Personal Information with Document Inspection in Microsoft Word (May 2024).
Before you send Word documents to colleagues or business partners, you should remove the personal data from them. Otherwise you may send confidential company data or private information in the so-called "metadata". We'll show you how to do it in old and newer versions of Word.
As of Word 2010: Remove personal data from documents
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Remove personal data from Word documents: First open the "File" tab.
Now click on "Check for problems" under "Information".
Click "Check Document".
Finally, only acknowledge with a click on "Check".
Click the "Remove all" button behind the respective test results.
Before you remove your personal data from a Word document, if in doubt, only carry out the following steps with a backup copy. Unfortunately, it is not possible to restore the removed personal data.
- Click on the " File " tab at the top and then on " Information " in the left menu column (see pictures, steps 1 & 2).
- Now select the large button " Check for problems " and then click on "Check document " (see pictures, steps 3 & 4).
- In the next window click on " Check " (see pictures, step 5).
- Finally, you will receive a list of all test results. In addition to document properties and personal information, you can also remove editing histories or comments.
- Simply go to " Remove all " after the respective point (see pictures, step 6).
Office 2007: How to proceed with older versions
In the older versions of Word, the deletion of your personal data works somewhat differently. Read the following points.
- Open the file and click the Windows button.
- Select " Prepare " and then " Check document ".
- Now all search filters are displayed - start the test with the " Check " button.
- After a few seconds you will receive the results and, if necessary, you can delete the personal data using the " Remove all " button.
Show navigation area in Word
Read how to change the document properties in Word in the following practical tip.