Microsoft KB Archive/113052

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WD: Opening Word Document in Text Editor Displays Deleted Text

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Q113052

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 2.0c-CD, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

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SYMPTOMS
If you open a Word for Windows document in a text editor such as Windows Notepad, the file may contain text that was previously deleted.

CAUSE
By design, when you save a document with the Allow Fast Saves option selected, Word records only the changes to the document and appends them to the end of the document. This means your document still contains the deleted text, even though it does not appear on the screen. Word removes deleted text from your document only when you perform a full save. (To display the Allow Fast Saves option, click Options on the Tools menu and select the Save tab.)

Word always performs a full save when the Allow Fast Saves option is turned off. In addition, even with the Allow Fast Saves option turned on, Word periodically performs a full save of your document.

The Allow Fast Saves option provides greater operating speed while you work in Word. It takes less time to append changes (fast save) than to incorporate them in your document (full save).

WORKAROUND
To work around this behavior, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Disable the Fast Save Feature
If you do not want your document to contain any deleted text that someone could view using a text editor, be sure to perform a full save operation. To do this, follow these steps:


 * 1) On the Tools menu, click Options, and click the Save tab.
 * 2) Click to clear the Allow Fast Saves check box.
 * 3) Save your document.

When you do this, Word incorporates all the changes, which includes removing deleted text.

Method 2: Continue Using the Fast Save Feature
This method allows you to continue to use the Fast Save feature. When all final revisions are completed, select the entire document and click Copy on the Edit menu. Start a new document and choose Paste from the Edit menu to copy the original document into a new document. The new document will be free of previous editing changes; therefore, it won't contain text that could be exposed in a text editor.