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Why Should You Remove Hidden Data?

Whenever a document is created, edited, or saved using Microsoft Word and other Microsoft Office products, hidden data, also known as metadata, is automatically added to the document. Common features in Microsoft Word, such as Track Changes, create a significant amount of hidden data in Word documents. The following types of hidden data may be accessible in your document, whether you know it or not:

  • Your name, your company’s name, and your computer’s name
  • Server information
  • Portions of embedded objects that are not visible in your document
  • Hidden comments
  • Track Changes: Inserted or deleted text you thought was gone

"Every Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint document contains a variety of information that remains present, but hidden, until you remove it or someone else extracts it. And therein lies the problem: If you plan on sharing or publishing your Office document, you may be sharing more than you intend." – PC Magazine

It could be disastrous if your competitors viewed this information. Unless steps are taken to remove hidden data, this sensitive information can be transmitted every time a document is emailed.

Microsoft.com’s support page for Word 2003 offers at least twenty separate methods to minimize or remove hidden data in Word 2003. Some of these methods are relatively simple, such as opening menus and clicking a few options. Others, however, are much more complex and require advanced technical knowledge.

Here is one simple way to view hidden data in Microsoft Word 2003:

1. Open the Tools pull-down menu
2. Open the Options Menu
3. Click on the View Tab
4. Under the Formatting Marks heading, select Hidden Text

If a user has sufficient technical skill and motivation, there are other more complex ways to view hidden data.

Here is one simple way to remove hidden data from a Microsoft Word 2003 document:
1. Open the Tools pull-down menu
2. Open the Options Menu
3. Click on the Security Tab
4. Select “Remove personal information from file properties on save”

If you want additional peace of mind, under the same tab, select "Warn before printing, saving or sending a file that contains tracked changes or comments".

White Paper: The Dangers of Hidden Document data

  • Why you should remove Document Metadata
  • 18 types of Document Metadata and their associated risks
  • Why what you can't see can hurt you

Workshare solutions remove hidden data automatically, without any extra action needed by the document’s author. Learn more about Workshare’s software solutions here.

Workshare Protect
Designed to secure your computer from information leaks.
Top 4 Features:
Metadata cleaning
Tamper-proof, secure PDFs
Document & email content analysis
Integration with Microsoft Office