Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Getting a Warning for Markup.

Getting a Warning for Markup

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 14, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


The Track Changes feature in Word is a great editing tool, as it allows you to show the changes made in a document over time. A related tool, Commenting, allows you to insert comments in a document for any number of reasons. You might not want to share your changes or comments with others, or to print documents that contain these types of markup. In that case, Word includes a way that you can double-check to make sure you don't do this. (This feature was introduced in Word 2002; it won't work in Word 97 or Word 2000.) Follow these steps if you are using Word 2002 or Word 2003:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Security tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Security tab of the Options dialog box.

  4. Make sure the Warn Before Printing, Saving, or Sending a File That Contains Tracked Changes or Comments check box is selected.
  5. Click on OK.

With this check box selected, Word displays a warning if you try to print, save, or e-mail a file containing either comments or change marks. Since comments and change marks are considered confidential information in many organizations, this option is on the Security tab. (Some people might think it belongs on the Track Changes tab or the Edit tab.)

You should know that selecting this option only presents a dialog box if you do the e-mailing of the document using the menu options in Word. If you close Word and then send the document as an attachment to an e-mail message, no warning is provided.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3443) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Getting a Warning for Markup.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Recovering Corrupt Document Files with StarOffice

A possibility to try if you have a corrupt document.

Discover More

Creating Tables with Specific Column Widths

Create a table and Word figures out column widths by dividing the horizontal space by the number of columns you want in ...

Discover More

Changing Coordinate Colors

Tired of the default colors that Excel uses to display the row and column coordinates? You can modify the colors, but ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Showing Only Added Text with Track Changes

Do you want to change how Track Changes displays the markup in your document? Here's how you can completely hide deleted ...

Discover More

Rejecting Changes in a Document

When a group of people edits a document with Track Changes turned on, it can be tempting for one of the editors to use ...

Discover More

Using Track Changes

Track Changes is a valuable Word tool that allows you to automatically mark changes in your document. This is a great ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two more than 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.