Working With Hidden Text in Word Documents

Use the hidden text feature to print different versions of a document

by James Marshall
James Marshall is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire who covers technology, word processing, and computer troubleshooting.
Updated November 14, 2019

The hidden text feature in Microsoft Word hides text in a document. The text remains a part of the document, but it doesn’t appear unless you choose to display it. Combined with printing options, this feature prints two or more versions of a document from one file. In one, you can omit portions of a document by hiding the text. There's no need to save two copies of the same file.

Instructions in this article apply to Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.

How to Hide Text in Word

To hide text in a Microsoft Word document on a Windows computer:

  1. Highlight the portion of text that you want to hide.

  2. Right-click the highlighted text, then select Font.

    Font menu item in Word

  3. In the Font dialog box, go to the Font tab.

  4. In the Effects section, select the Hidden check box.

    Hidden checkbox in Word

  5. Select OK.

How to Show Hidden Text in Word

To show the text, press Ctrl+A to select the entire document, then right-click the highlighted text and select Font. In the Font dialog box, clear the Hidden check box.

How to Print Hidden Text in Word

You can print the document with or without the hidden text.

  1. Go to File > Options.

  2. In the Word Options dialog box, go to the left panel and select Display.

  3. In the Printing options section, select the Print hidden text check box to print the document including the hidden text.

    Clear the Print hidden text check box to print the document without including the hidden text.

    Print hidden text option in Word

  4. Select OK.