We recently looked at how to change your name for new Track Changes and comments in Word for Mac. Today, we will look at how to remove all names from existing Track Changes and comments in Word for Mac. The names will be replaced with the default label Author, as shown in figure 1.
We will also look at how to stop Word for Mac from calling you Author in future Track Changes and comments.
Quick Links:
- How to Remove Names from Track Changes in Word for Mac
- How to Stop Word for Mac from Calling You Author
Can I Change My Name for Existing Track Changes to Something Other Than “Author”?
Neither the PC nor the Mac version of Microsoft Word offers a built-in way to change names connected to existing comments and edits to anything other than Author. While this solution isn’t ideal, it is useful when anonymity is important, such as for beta reading and blind peer reviews.
This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.
Watch more than 100 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.
The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac. These steps also apply to older versions of the software back to Word for Mac 2016.
How to Remove Names from Existing Track Changes in Word for Mac
- Open a secondary copy of your original document saved under a different file name. (Please see the Caution statement above.)
- Select the Review tab in the ribbon.
- Select the Protect Document button.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have the Protect Document button in your Review tab, select the Tools menu followed by Protect Document from the drop-down menu.
- Select Remove personal information from this file on save in the Password Protect dialog box.
- Select the OK button.
- Save, close, and reopen your document.
All the names connected to Track Changes and comments should now appear as Author, as shown in figure 1.
How to Stop Word for Mac from Calling You Author
You can stop Word for Mac from calling you Author for future Track Changes and comments. However, you cannot change the Author label connected to existing tracking and comments.
- Select the Review tab in the ribbon (see figure 2).
- Select the Protect Document button (see figure 3).
- Deselect (uncheck) Remove personal information from this file on save in the Password Protect dialog box (see figure 5).
- Select the OK button (see figure 6).
Your new Track Changes and comments should now appear with the name shown in the User Information section of the Preferences dialog box (Word > Preferences > User Information).