Removing a Subdocument From a Master Document

Summary: Just as you can add subdocuments to a master document, you can remove them. Doing so is relatively easy, and it doesn't actually delete the subdocument from your hard drive. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

As you are working with master and subdocuments, there may come a time when you want to remove a subdocument from a master. You can do this very easily in Word by following these steps:

Open the master document and make sure that all your subdocuments are displayed.
Switch to Outline view or, if you are using Word 97, choose Master Document from the View menu. Word displays the subdocuments (or links to the subdocuments) with a box around it and an icon at the top-left of the box.
Click on the icon for the subdocument you want to remove. This selects the entire subdocument.
Press the Del key.

The subdocument is removed from the master. Note that this does not delete the actual subdocument, it only removes it from the master document. If you want to use the subdocument in another document or as a standalone document, you can still do so.

Tip #1741 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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