Where Word Stores the Author Name
Word documents carry hidden information about who created them, called metadata. This includes the author name, creation date, and edit history. When you open a document someone else made, or when you want to change whose name appears as the creator, you are changing this metadata — not the visible text on the page.
The author name comes from your Windows user account or Microsoft account, depending on which version of Word you use and how you signed in. Word fills this in automatically the first time you save a document. If you want a different name to appear, you need to change it in Word's settings or in the document's properties.
Key Takeaways
- The author name lives in document properties, not in the document text itself, and is separate from what appears on the page.
- In Word for Windows, go to File > Info > Properties to see and change the author name for a single document.
- In Word for Mac, use File > Properties to access the same information.
- To change the default author for all future documents, modify your user account name in Windows or your Microsoft account profile.
- Some versions of Word require you to save the document after changing the author name for the change to stick.
Changing the Author in Word for Windows
Open the document you want to change. Click the File tab at the top left, then select Info from the left sidebar. On the right side of the screen, you will see a section labeled Properties with fields for Title, Subject, Tags, and Author. Click directly on the Author field and type the new name you want to appear.
After you type the new author name, click outside the field or press Enter to confirm the change. Then save the document using Ctrl+S or File > Save. Word will update the metadata and store the new author name with the file.
If you do not see the Author field in Properties, your version of Word may be hiding it. Click "Show All Properties" at the bottom of the Properties panel to reveal additional fields including Author.
Changing the Author in Word for Mac
Open the document and click File in the menu bar at the top. Select Properties from the dropdown menu. A window will open showing document details. Look for the Author field and click in it to edit the name. Type the new author name and click OK to save the change.
Save the document afterward using Command+S. The metadata will update with the new author information.
Changing Your Default Author for All Future Documents
If you want every new document you create to show a different author name by default, you can change the name at the system level. In Windows, go to Settings > Accounts > Your Info and change your user account name. Word will use this name for all new documents you create going forward.
Alternatively, if you use a Microsoft account to sign into Word, you can change the name associated with that account through your Microsoft account settings online. Sign in at account.microsoft.com, go to Your Info, and edit your name. The next time you create a document in Word, it will use the updated name.
Changing your system or account name does not affect documents you have already created — only new ones. To change the author on existing documents, you must edit each one individually using the Properties method described above.
Why the Author Name Matters for Privacy
The author metadata is invisible to anyone reading the document on screen, but it is embedded in the file itself. If you share a Word document with someone, they can see who created it by opening Properties. If you are concerned about privacy — for instance, if you are editing a document anonymously or want to remove identifying information before sharing — changing the author name is one step toward that goal.
However, changing the author name alone does not fully anonymize a document. Word also stores edit history, timestamps, and comments that may reveal who worked on it. If complete anonymity is your goal, you may need to strip all metadata or convert the document to a different format like PDF.
Removing All Author Information
If you want to delete the author field entirely rather than replace it with a different name, open File > Info > Properties and clear the Author field completely, leaving it blank. Save the document. Some versions of Word will then show "Unknown" or leave the field empty when someone views the properties.
For a more thorough removal of all hidden information, use File > Info > Inspect Document (in newer versions of Word). This tool shows you all metadata, comments, and tracked changes in the document. You can then remove the categories you want to delete before sharing the file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing the author name change who appears as the editor?
No. The author is who created the document originally. The editor is who modified it most recently. Word tracks both separately. Changing the author name does not change the editor information — that updates automatically when you save changes to the document.
Will the new author name show up in the document itself?
Not unless you have manually typed the author name into the document text. The author metadata is hidden. It only appears when someone opens File > Properties or uses a tool to inspect the document's hidden information.
What if I change the author name but it does not save?
Make sure you save the document after changing the author field. Some versions of Word require you to explicitly save the file for metadata changes to stick. Use Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac) after editing the author name.
Can I change the author name on a document someone else created?
Yes, if you have the file open and can edit it, you can change the author name using the same steps. The original author name will be replaced with whatever you type in the Author field.
Does changing the author name affect tracked changes?
No. Tracked changes show the name of whoever made each edit at the time they made it. Changing the author name in Properties does not alter the history of who changed what. If you want to remove tracked changes, you must accept or reject them individually, or use the Accept All or Reject All options in the Review tab.