Working With Hidden Text in Word Documents

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

Man hiding in filing cabinet reading document with magnifying glass
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by James Marshall
A pro journalist who covers technology and computer troubleshooting, and who uses word processing programs daily.
Updated September 25, 2018

The hidden text feature in Microsoft Word allows you to hide 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 can be handy for several reasons. The most obvious is that you can print two or more versions of a document from one file. In one, you can omit portions of text by hiding them. There's no need to save two copies on your computer.

How to Hide Text in Word 2016 for Windows

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

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

  2. Right-click the highlighted text and select Font.

  3. In the Effects section, check the box next to Hidden.

  4. Click OK.

How to Show Hidden Text in Word 2016

  1. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + A to highlight all the text in the Word document.

  2. Right-click anywhere on the highlighted text.

  3. Select Font.

  4. In the Effects section, click the box next to Hidden to remove the check mark.

  5. Click OK.

How to Print Hidden Text in Word 2016

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

  1. Click File > Options.

  2. Select Display in the Word Options screen.

  3. In the Printing options section, place a check in the box next to Print hidden text to print out the document including the hidden text.

  4. Click OK.

Remove the check to print the document without including the hidden text.