How to Restore Word Document Inspector Personal Information Settings
Question details
The user needs to locate and enable the setting to save personal information in a Word document after it was hidden by the Document Inspector.
- Product
- Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to use tracked changes and comments normally after previously removing personal information via Document Inspector.
- Observed behavior
- The usual tracked-change and comment behavior changes (often anonymizing author names), and the setting to allow personal information to be saved disappears from the standard options menu.
Ensure you have the affected Word document open. Note that restoring these settings will re-enable the display of actual author names for future comments and tracked changes.
Rerun the Document Inspector
Run the Document Inspector a second time to prompt the missing personal information option to reappear.
When you use the Document Inspector to remove personal information, Microsoft Word intentionally hides the toggle to re-enable it in standard settings to protect your privacy. To get the setting back, you must trigger the inspection process again.
Click on the 'File' menu in the top-left corner of your Word window, and then select 'Info' from the sidebar.
Click on the 'Check for Issues' button, then select 'Inspect Document' from the dropdown menu.
Ensure the checkbox for 'Document Properties and Personal Information' is ticked, and click the 'Inspect' button.
After the inspection completes, the option to allow personal information to be saved will become available again. Enable this option to restore your normal track-change and comment behavior.
Easily Manage Personal Information and Track Changes with WPS Writer
If you want a straightforward way to handle document privacy without settings mysteriously disappearing, WPS Office is an excellent alternative. It provides clear, accessible toggles for managing personal information and track changes.
- 1. Open Your Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open the document you wish to edit.
- 2. Access the Options Menu: Click the 'Menu' button in the top left corner and choose 'Options' from the drop-down list.
- 3. Navigate to Security Settings: In the Options dialog, select the 'Security' tab on the left-hand panel.
- 4. Adjust Privacy Options: Under the 'Privacy options' section, simply uncheck 'Remove personal information from file properties on save' to ensure author names are kept intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my tracked changes suddenly change to 'Author'?
If the Document Inspector was used to strip personal information from the file, the software automatically anonymizes future track changes and comments to protect your privacy, displaying the creator simply as 'Author'.
Will restoring the personal information setting reveal past anonymous comments?
No. Once comments and tracked changes have been saved anonymously, restoring the setting will only display the real author names for new edits and comments made moving forward.
How do I safely remove personal information before sharing a document?
You can use the Document Inspector in Word or the straightforward 'Security' options in WPS Office to strip author names, document properties, and hidden metadata before you distribute the file.
