WD2002: Word Document That Is Opened in Text Editor Displays Deleted Text

If you open a Microsoft Word for Windows document in a text editor such as Windows Notepad, the document may contain text that was previously deleted.

When you save a document with the Allow fast saves option selected, Word records only the changes to the document and appends them to the end of the document. This means your document still contains the deleted text, even though it does not appear on the screen. Word removes deleted text from your document only when you perform a full save.

Use one of the following methods if you do not want a document to contain deleted text.

Method 1: Turn Off "Allow Fast Saves"

To prevent a document from containing deleted text that someone could view with a text editor, turn off the Allow fast saves option, and perform a full save. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Save tab, click to clear the Allow fast saves check box, and then click OK.
3. On the File menu, click Save to save your document.

When you do this, Word incorporates all the changes into your document and removes deleted text.

Method 2: Copy and Paste into a New Document

This method allows you to continue to use the Allow fast saves option. To use this method, follow these steps:

1. When all revisions are completed, select the entire document. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
2. Open a new blank document. On the Edit menu, click Paste to paste the original document into the new document.

The new document will be free of previous editing changes (deleted text).

Word always performs a full save when the Allow fast saves option is turned off. In addition, even with the Allow fast saves option turned on, Word periodically performs a full save of your document.

The Allow fast saves option provides greater operating speed while you work in Word. It requires less time to append changes (fast save) than to incorporate them in your document (full save).