Document Inspector in Word

If you’re going to be sharing a document digitally, you may want to check for hidden text like watermarks, comments, and other metadata that should be removed before publishing.

Inspect a Document

Click the File tab.
Click Check for Issues.
Select Inspect Document.
The Document Inspector dialog box opens. This lists all of the kinds of hidden data you can find in a document.
- Comments, versions, and revision marks
- Document properties and personal information
- Task pane add-ins
- Embedded documents
- Macros, forms, and ActiveX controls
- Collapsed headings
- Custom XML data
- Headers, footers, and watermarks
- Invisible content
- Hidden text
Select which hidden data you want to check for, then click Inspect.

The document is analyzed, and any instances of the selected hidden data are noted.
Click the Remove All button next to a category’s results to remove those elements.
Click Close when you’re done.