How to Stop Microsoft Word Showing Track Changes as Author
Question details
User needs to prevent Microsoft Word from replacing specific collaborator identities with the generic name 'Author' when tracking changes.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Collaborating on a shared document where multiple reviewers are tracking changes and adding comments.
- Observed behavior
- When the document is saved, Microsoft Word strips the specific names of the collaborators and displays all tracked changes and comments under the anonymized name 'Author'.
Ensure you have the affected document open in Microsoft Word. Check if this issue occurs in all new blank documents or only in this specific shared file, as the setting is often document-specific.
Disable the Document Privacy Setting in Trust Center
Use this solution to stop Word from anonymizing reviewer names in the current document.
Microsoft Word includes a privacy feature designed to remove personal metadata when saving a file. When enabled, this feature inherently strips the specific author names from tracked changes and comments to protect user privacy.
Click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner of the Microsoft Word ribbon, then click on 'Options' at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
In the Word Options dialog box, select 'Trust Center' from the left pane, and then click the 'Trust Center Settings' button on the right.
In the Trust Center window, click on 'Privacy Options' in the left menu. In older versions of Word, you may need to click 'Document-specific Settings' under Privacy Options.
Uncheck the box labeled 'Remove personal information from file properties on save'. Click 'OK' on both dialog windows to apply the changes and save your document.
Modify the Document Template (Normal.dotm)
Use this if every new blank document you create automatically hides author names.
Collaborate Seamlessly with WPS Office
If you are tired of dealing with obscure privacy settings and lost collaborator identities in Microsoft Word, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a highly compatible, user-friendly environment for editing documents and tracking changes reliably.
- 1. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word document.
- 2. Enable Track Changes: Go to the 'Review' tab on the top ribbon and click the 'Track Changes' button.
- 3. Collaborate Securely: Begin editing. WPS Office automatically preserves the specific identity of each reviewer without stripping names upon saving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover the original reviewer names that were changed to 'Author'?
Unfortunately, once the document has been saved and closed with the privacy setting enabled, the specific identities are permanently stripped and replaced with 'Author'. You cannot revert this action unless you have a previous backup of the document.
Why is the 'Remove personal information' checkbox grayed out?
The checkbox is usually grayed out if the setting has not been applied to the document yet, or if it is managed by your organization's IT policies via the Document Inspector. You can try running the Document Inspector (File > Info > Check for Issues) to clear out the rules, then verify the setting.
Is there a way to automatically fix this for all my existing Word documents?
No, Microsoft Word does not offer a global toggle to disable this setting retroactively for all existing documents. The setting is stored within the individual document properties, meaning you must manually disable it for each affected file.
