# MS Word - Clean copy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025 "2024-11-10T15:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/1 "2024-11-10T15:05:00Z")
I’ve written a document in MS Word and now want to send a clean copy out for a review. I don’t want previous versions of the document to be seen by the recipient. If I copy the entire document into a new MS Word blank, does that erase prior editing history? Or is there something else I need to do? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/2 "2024-11-10T15:19:22Z")
Document Inspector in Word lets you remove all hidden info [Remove hidden data and personal information by inspecting documents, presentations, or workbooks - Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/remove-hidden-data-and-personal-information-by-inspecting-documents-presentations-or-workbooks-356b7b5d-77af-44fe-a07f-9aa4d085966f#:~:text=to%20be%20inspected.-,Select%20Inspect.,to%20remove%20from%20your%20document). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/3 "2024-11-10T15:26:45Z")
Depending on what you want the recipient to do with it, you could save it as a PDF and send them that. It wouldn’t be editable, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/4 "2024-11-10T15:28:26Z")
The recipient insists on a Word document only, so that it can be edited. Thanks for the Inspect function, @FinsToTheLeft . Was not aware of it, but that looks like it should do. Will try it when I’m back in the office. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/5 "2024-11-10T18:09:06Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The recipient insists on a Word document only, so that it can be edited. I encountered the same situation years ago. I have no idea how much formatting you have in your Word document, but mine was just text with paragraph breaks. I copied and pasted the text into a Notepad document and saved it as text document. Then I opened a new Word doc and copied and pasted the text from the Notepad document. Worked like a champ. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/6 "2024-11-10T18:22:18Z")
Select All, Copy, paste into a different word processor, save, close. Reopen, Select All, Copy, paste into Word. Examine for formatting weirdnesses. Save. Send. ETA: Essentially what **Railer13** just said, but if you use a word processor instead of Notepad it preserves formatting (most of it at least). ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/7 "2024-11-10T19:23:53Z")
I wonder if you just copy/pasted text directly into a new Word doc, would that work? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/8 "2024-11-10T23:53:41Z")
I don’t think you want to copy it into a completely new document. I think (but am not sure), It’s best to open a new document, type anything so you don’t have a blank document, then c/p from the original document. Word will then consider this a completely new document, though it will have whatever meta data is stored by default – perhaps identifying the author. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/9 "2024-11-11T14:50:06Z")
Thanks. That makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/10 "2024-11-11T18:03:15Z")
Go to the “Review” menu toolbar. Accept all changes and stop tracking. Save a new copy. Send to your new reviewer. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-clean-copy/1010025/11 "2024-11-12T00:34:45Z")
That doesn’t allow you to keep tracking changes for yourself. Make a copy first. Then make irreversible changes.