How to Use Tags in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to use tags in Microsoft Word. Specifically, we’ll look at three ways to add tags to Word documents:

1. Add Tags through the Backstage View

2. Add Tags through Advanced Properties

3. Add Tags through Save As

Then, we’ll look at how to delete tags in Word documents.

The final section shows how to search for known and unknown tags through the File Explorer in Windows.

Please note that the images below are from Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.

This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 150 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

Before we begin, let’s tackle an important question …

What Are Tags in Word?

In Windows, tags are custom keywords attached to Word documents and other files that help with search and organization.

Tags can be any word, phrase, or number string related to the file, such as product names, item numbers, internal filing codes, or project nicknames—basically anything that may help you locate the file later.

How to Add Tags through the Backstage View

The following five steps show how to add tags to Word files through the Backstage view.

1. Select the File tab in the ribbon.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 File Tab | Step 1 in How to Add Tags in Word — Figure 1. File tab

2. Select the Info tab in the Backstage view. (You’ll probably already be in the Info tab by default.)

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Info Tab in the Backstage View | Step 2 in How to Add Tags in Word — Figure 2. Info tab in the Backstage view

3. Select Add a tag in the Properties section. The text will become a text box.

Image of Word 2019 / Word 365 Add a Tag in the Backstage View | Step 3 in How to Add Tags in Word — Figure 3. Add a Tag option in the Backstage view

4. Type your tag or multiple tags separated by semicolons in the text box.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Backstage View with Tags | Step 4 in How to Add Tags in Word — Figure 4. Tags in the Backstage view

Important Note: If you separate tags with commas instead of semicolons, Windows will view them as one tag and won’t provide an accurate file search.

5. Save the file in order to save your new tag or tags.

How to Add Tags through Advanced Properties

The following eight steps show how to add tags to Word files through the Advanced Properties dialog box.

1. Select the File tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).

2. Select the Info tab in the Backstage view (see figure 2).

3. Select the Properties heading.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Backstage View Properties Heading | Step 5 in How to Add Tags in Word through Advanced Properties — Figure 5. Properties heading (menu link) in the Backstage view

4. Select Advanced Properties in the drop-down menu.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Backstage View Advanced Properties Link | Step 4 in How to Add Tags in Word through Advanced Properties — Figure 6. Advanced Properties link in the Backstage view

5. Select the Summary tab in the Advanced Properties dialog box.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Advanced Properties Dialog Box | Step 5 in How to Add Tags in Word through Advanced Properties — Figure 7. Summary tab in the Advanced Properties dialog box

6. Type your tag or multiple tags separated by semicolons in the Keywords text box. (The term keywords means tags in this dialog box.)

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Advanced Properites Dialog Box Textbox | Step 6 in how to Add Tags in Word through Advanced Properties — Figure 8. Keywords text box in the Advanced Properties dialog box

7. Select the OK button to close the Advanced Properties dialog box.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Advanced Properties Dialog Box OK Button | Step 7 in How to Add Tags in Word through Advanced Properties — Figure 9. OK button in the Advanced Properties dialog box

Notice that the tags now appear in the Properties section of the Backstage view.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Backstage View with Tags — Figure 10. Tags added through Advanced Properties in the Backstage view

8. Save the file in order to save your new tag or tags.

How to Add Tags through Save As

The following six steps show how to add tags to Word documents through the Save As dialog box in Windows.

1. Select the File tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).

2. Select the Save As tab in the Backstage view.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Save As in the Backstage View | Step 2 in How to Add Tags in Word through Save As — Figure 11. Save As tab in the Backstage view

Pro Tip: You can also use the shortcut F12 (or Fn + F12) to open the Save As dialog box from anywhere in Windows, including from Word’s main view.

3. Select the More Options link.

Image of Word 365 / Word 2019 Save As screen in the Backstage View | Step 3 in How to Add Tags in Word through Save As — Figure 12. Save As screen in the Backstage view

4. Type your tag or tags separated by semicolons in the Tags text box in the Save As dialog box.

Image of Windows 10 Save As Dialog Box | Step 4 in How to Add Tags in Windows through Save As — Figure 13. Tags in the Save As dialog box

5. Name your file and select the destination where you want to save the file, if you haven’t already done so.

Image of Windows Save As Dialog Box Folder Locations and File Name Textbox | Step 5 in How to Add Tags in Word through Save As — Figure 14. Folders locations and file name in the Save As dialog box

6. Select the Save button.

Image of Windows Save As Dialog Box Save Button | Step 6 in How to Add Tags to Word through Save As — Figure 15. Save button in the Save As dialog box

How to Delete Tags

The following four steps show how to delete tags attached to Word files. These steps should work regardless of the method used to add the tags. However, these steps won’t work on files marked as Read Only or similarly protected.

1. Select the File tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).

2. Select the Info tab in the Backstage view (see figure 2).

3. Delete the unwanted tag or tags in the Properties section (see figure 4).

4. Save the file in order to save your deletions.

How to Search for Tags through File Explorer

We’ll begin by looking at how to search for tags when you know the tag or tags specifically. Then, we’ll look at how to search for tags when you don’t know the exact tag or tags you want to search for.