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How to remove your name from a Word document

Updated 9 October 2026

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Word quietly records your name, and often your company, in every document you create or edit. If you're sending a CV, a tender, an anonymous submission or a template, you may not want it there.

Where your name is stored

• Author and Last Modified By in the document properties.
• Company and Manager properties.
• The name shown on every comment and tracked change.

Remove it on Windows

1. Save a copy of the document under a new name.
2. Go to File > Info. Under Related People, right-click your name next to Author and choose Remove Person.
3. Click Show All Properties (bottom right) and clear the Company and Manager boxes.
4. For a thorough job, run Check for Issues > Inspect Document and remove "Document Properties and Personal Information". This also stops Word adding your name back when you save.
5. Save.

Remove it on a Mac

1. Go to Tools > Protect Document on the menu bar (or Review > Protect Document).
2. Tick Remove personal information from this file on save and click OK.
3. Save the document.

Stop it being added to new documents

Word takes the name from its own settings: File > Options > General > User name on Windows, or Word > Settings > User Information on a Mac. Changing it there changes the name on future documents and comments, not ones you've already saved.

Don't forget comments and tracked changes

Each comment and tracked change carries the name of whoever made it. Removing the author property doesn't remove those, so delete the comments and accept or reject the changes too.

More guides

• Remove metadata from a Word document
• Remove tracked changes before sending
• Delete all comments in Word
• Find hidden text in Word
• Before-you-send checklist