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Home / News / How to Redact in Word: 1-Minute Guide

How to Redact in Word: 1-Minute Guide

By Lydia | Follow twitter | Updated on July 23, 2024
Introduction:
This article demonstrates how to redact in Word using two methods. You can hide your private information on a Word document before sharing it with others.
summary

However, Microsoft Word lacks a proper word redaction tool to efficiently black out text in Word files. A bonus part is introduced to redact a Word document in a PDF editor with easy steps.

How to Redact Text in Word with the Font Tool

MS Word has been developed to allow easy editing of file content. As a result, it doesn’t have a proficient redaction tool to erase sensitive text. However, the highlighting tool offers various color options to mark specific text by applying a b

As DOC documents are easy to edit. You need to convert the file to a PDF or an image to make it non-editable, preventing unauthorized changes to the content.

Follow the step-by-step guide on how to redact in Word using the highlighting tool:

Step 1: Open your file in Microsoft Word and select the target text;

Step 2: Under the Home tab from the top robbin, hit the drop-down arrow next to the Text Highlight Color button. Choose the black color to black out text in the Word;
Use the Font

Step 3: Go to File and choose Export. Click Create PDF/XPS Document and tap the button on the right to save the Word document as a PDF.

When editing, if you accidentally close the Word file without saving the changes, here are the solutions:

How to Recover Unsaved Word Document [Windows & Mac]

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How to Redact a PDF in Word with the Inspect Document Tool

The Inspect Document tool in Microsoft Word is used to check for hidden or personal information that users may be reluctant to share with others. It is particularly common when preparing a document for distribution. The tool detects comments, revisions, document properties, and hidden text, allowing you to remove these elements in one click.

This feature ensures that your personal or confidential information won’t be viewed by others after sharing. However, it cannot be used to white out the original text in a Word document. Besides, remember to make a copy of the Word document to protect all the data.

Find out how to redact in Word using the inspect document tool:

Step 1: Open the Word document and click on the File button;

Step 2: Make sure you are under the Info tab. Hit Check for Issues and select Inspect Document;
Use Inspect Document

Step 3: Hit Inspect to let it search for metadata that contains your private information. Tap Remove All to redact in Microsoft Word.

Use Inspect Document

How to Redact a PDF in a PDF Editor

You have to admit that MS Word is not proficient enough in redacting text in Word documents. To save time in achieving the task with the original formatting, you can convert the Word document to a PDF first. Then, redact the converted file with a PDF assistant like SwifDoo PDF, which is essential.

SwifDoo PDF is a versatile PDF application designed to streamline the art of PDF editing. It provides a word redaction tool to black out sensitive information in a PDF file. You can customize the color for the blackout to make it more noticeable and alter the size of the tool to hide the text more efficiently.

Look at the steps to redact a PDF in the PDF program:

Step 1: Open your PDF in SwifDoo PDF;

Step 2: Tap the Edit button and click on White-out;
Redact PDF in SwifDoo PDF

Step 3: Hit on the PDF page and drag your mouse to cover the target text. The tool soon black out the PDF information.

In Closing

If you are troubled by blacking out text in Word documents, we hope this article provides the right solution. This page demonstrates how to redact in Word with the two built-in tools of MS Word. You can hide sensitive information even without expert word redaction tools.

Users who value efficiency have a more secure process to complete the task. Convert the Word to PDF and redact the text in SwifDoo PDF to protect your confidential text.

FAQs

Q:Can you hide text in Microsoft Word?

Yes, Microsoft Word allows you to hide a piece of text to prevent others from viewing it. The Font settings allow you to apply multiple effects on selected text, including hiding text and strikethrough. Furthermore, you can use the inspect document tool we’ve mentioned in the previous section to remove the hidden text in one click. This adds an extra layer to ensure that no one can view the text.

Read on to see the steps to hide text in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Open the Word document and select the text you don’t want others to view;

Step 2: Hit the icon in the lower-right corner from the Font dialogue;

Step 3: Under the Effect tab, check the Hidden option and click OK to hide the selected text.

Q:How to reveal hidden text in Word?

When you want to do the final proofreading, revealing the hidden text is a little tricky as you may not remember which text you have altered. Microsoft Word has a tool to display your hidden text in one click while not disabling the effect. Follow the instructions to achieve the task:

Step 1: Import the Word document in MS Word;

Step 2: Navigate to File and tap Options. Choose Display;

Step 3: Under the Always show these formatting marks on the screen tab, toggle on the Hidden text option. Click on OK to save the change;

You can now go back to the document to view the revealed text.

Lydia is an English columnist for AWZware. She is familiar with different technology products such as office software, location changers, and video software applications. Focused on tech blog writing, she is willing to solve your problems with up-to-date information.

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