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How to Stop Word from Removing Personal Information on Save
Question details
The user needs to prevent Microsoft Word from automatically stripping personal information from document properties and displaying a warning every time a document is saved.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Processing multiple legal or professional documents where repetitive document property warnings and automatic personal info removal disrupt the workflow.
- Observed behavior
- Word repeatedly displays a warning about removing personal information from document properties on save, requiring the user to disable the setting individually for each document.
Ensure you have the necessary permissions to edit Microsoft Word templates (such as the Normal.dotm file) on your computer, as you will need to modify the base template to apply this fix to all future documents.
Modify Privacy Settings in the Document Template
Because this privacy setting is inherited from the document template, modifying the base template directly prevents the warning from appearing in all newly created documents.
By default, the setting to remove personal information is stored at the document or template level rather than the application level. By updating your default template (usually Normal.dotm), you can ensure that any new document generated from it will not trigger the privacy warning.
In Microsoft Word, go to File > Open > Browse. Navigate to your templates folder (typically located at C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates) and open the relevant template, such as Normal.dotm.
With the template open, navigate to File > Options. In the Word Options dialog box, select Trust Center from the left sidebar, then click the Trust Center Settings button.
In the Trust Center, select Privacy Options on the left. Uncheck the box labeled 'Remove personal information from file properties on save', then click OK to confirm.
Save and close the template file. All future documents based on this template will now retain personal information without triggering the warning.
Disable the Setting for an Individual Document
Use this method if you only need to stop the warning for a specific existing document rather than changing global template settings.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Word remove personal information by default?
Word includes this privacy feature to prevent users from accidentally sharing sensitive metadata, such as author names, editing time, or hidden text, when distributing documents publicly.
Can I apply this setting to all my existing Word documents at once?
No, the setting to remove personal information is document-specific. Modifying the template only applies to newly created documents, meaning you must update existing files individually or utilize a VBA macro to batch process them.
Where is the normal.dotm template located in Windows?
By default, the normal.dotm template is typically hidden in your user profile folder. You can usually find it by navigating to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.
Why is the 'Remove personal information' checkbox grayed out?
The checkbox is grayed out if the Document Inspector hasn't been run on the document yet, or if your organization's IT policy enforces the removal of personal information via Group Policy settings.
