Then, make sure that the Hidden box under Effects is ticked and click OK. Then click the Format dropdown and select Font. Note that you will need to show all of your hidden text using Control+Shift+8 or the Show/Hide button before you search for it – the Find/Replace function won’t find it if it is still hidden.įirst, open the Find and Replace dialog from the Home tab or use Ctrl + H You can use the Find function in Word to search for all the hidden text and replace it with nothing, i.e. Never fear, there are a couple of ways you can hunt down those hidden passages to remove them.

You can use the Object Browser (discussed in other issues of WordTips) to easily step through any comments that may be in your document.If you want to remove hidden text from your Word document, you first need to find it.įor a shorter document, you can use the Show/Hide button to see what’s hidden and delete it manually, but that would be very time consuming for longer documents with lots of hidden passages. It could be that what you are seeing is actually a comment box that is configured to print but not display on the screen. This is a great approach if the offending text box is the only shape in your entire document.įinally, if the text box still appears on the printout, it could be that you aren't dealing with a text box at all. The following macro will step through all the shapes defined in the document and delete them. If you are still having problems locating and getting rid of the text box, you can try a macro approach. (In the task pane, the small control at the right side of the object controls visibility.)

Use the controls in the Selection and Visibility task pane to select and control visibility of the object.

Navigate to the page that-based on the printout-contains the errant text box.

Word displays the Selection and Visibility task pane at the right side of your document.

In the Editing group click Select | Selection Pane.

Word also includes a great way to see the objects in your document. You can then delete them by simply pressing the Delete key. When you release the mouse button, any objects on the page should be selected.

Click and drag to create a selection box around the entire page.

Display the Home tab of the ribbon and, in the Editing group, click Select | Select Objects.

Zoom out on your page so that you can see it all on the screen.

If you suspect this is the case, try these general steps: If you still can't see it, it could be possible that the text box is formatted for no line and no fill and that the text it contains is formatted as hidden (and you have the display of hidden text turned off). Provided you are still viewing the document in Print Layout view, you should be able to see any text boxes.

Make sure the Show Drawings and Text Boxes on Screen check box is selected.

Make sure the Show Picture Placeholders check box is cleared.

The advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.

Scroll through the options until you can see the Show Document Content section.

Click Advanced at the left side of the dialog box.In Word 2010 and later versions, click the File tab of the ribbon and click Options.) (In Word 2007 click the Office button and choose Word Options. If the text box is still not visible, then you should check to make sure that the display of drawings hasn't been turned off. If you are viewing your document in some other view, then you won't be able to see some of your graphics, including text boxes. Now, make sure you are viewing your document in Print Layout view. You should make note of any surrounding text or elements that can help you to narrow down where to look in the document itself. This is a simple determination-just look at the printout to see on which page it occurs. First, make sure you know the page on which the text box is located. Vanessa wants to delete the text box and wonders, since she can't see the text box, how she can find it to get rid of it. When she looks at the document on-screen, she can't see the text box or the text it contains. When Vanessa prints her document, the printout includes a text box with text in it.

How to show hidden text on word