What "select all" means and why it matters for your privacy

Select all is a feature in most document editors that highlights every item in your document at once — every word, every image, every comment, every tracked change. When you use it, you are telling the program to treat everything as a group, which lets you copy, delete, format, or move the entire contents in one action instead of doing it piece by piece.

For privacy, this matters because selecting all can expose things you thought were hidden. If your document contains tracked changes (edits marked with names and timestamps), comments from reviewers, or metadata (hidden information about who created the file and when), selecting all will highlight those too. When you copy and paste selected content into a new file or send it, those hidden layers often come along. Knowing how to select all — and what it actually selects — helps you decide whether to use it or select only the visible text instead.

Key Takeaways

  • Select all (Ctrl+A on Windows, Command+A on Mac) highlights every element in your document, including tracked changes and comments that may not be visible at first glance.
  • When you copy and paste selected content, hidden metadata and revision history often transfer to the new document unless you use "paste special" to strip formatting.
  • Different document editors handle select all differently — Google Docs selects only visible content by default, while Microsoft Word includes tracked changes and comments.
  • If you want to share only the final text without edits or reviewer comments, select and copy the visible text, then paste it as unformatted text into a new document.

How select all works in the three most common editors

Google Docs uses Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all visible text and images. When you select all in Google Docs, it does not include comments or suggestions in the selection itself — those remain separate. However, if you copy the selected text and paste it into another Google Doc, the comments and suggestions stay attached to the original document, not the new one. This is one reason Google Docs is considered simpler for privacy: the hidden layers do not travel with your copy.

Microsoft Word also uses Ctrl+A or Command+A, but it behaves differently. Select all in Word highlights the visible text, but when you copy and paste it, tracked changes and comments come along as hidden metadata. If you want to send a Word document without showing who edited it or what they changed, you cannot straightforward select all and paste — you have to use a separate step to remove tracked changes first, or use "paste special" to strip the formatting and metadata.

LibreOffice Writer (the free, open-source alternative) works similarly to Word: Ctrl+A selects all visible content, but metadata travels with it. The difference is that LibreOffice gives you more control over what metadata gets saved in the first place — you can turn off automatic author names and timestamps before you start editing.

What gets selected when you press Ctrl+A or Command+A

Select all highlights the obvious things: every word, every paragraph, every image, every table. But it also selects things you may not see on the screen. Tracked changes (the red strikethrough text and insertions that show who changed what) are selected. Comments and notes in the margins are selected. Page numbers, headers, and footers are selected. Hyperlinks are selected, though they look the same as regular text until you paste them.

What select all does not always select depends on the editor. In Google Docs, comments stay in the original document. In Word, they travel as hidden metadata. In both, you can usually see tracked changes on screen, so you know they are there — but many people do not realize they are being selected and copied until they paste into a new document and see the red marks appear.

The safest approach: before you select all, turn on "show all formatting marks" or "show tracked changes" so you can see what is actually in the document. In Word, this is under the Review tab. In Google Docs, it is under Tools > Preferences. In LibreOffice, it is under View > Formatting Marks. Once you can see everything, you can decide whether to select all or select only the clean, final text.

How to copy without bringing hidden changes and comments along

If your document has tracked changes or comments and you want to share only the final version, select all and copy as usual, but then use paste special instead of regular paste. In Word, right-click and choose "Paste Special," then select "Unformatted Text." This strips away all metadata, tracked changes, and formatting — you get only the words. In Google Docs, paste into a new document, then use Edit > Paste Special > Paste Unformatted Text. In LibreOffice, use Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Command+Shift+V (Mac) to open Paste Special.

Another route: before you select all, accept or reject all tracked changes first. In Word, go to Review > Accept All Changes. In Google Docs, go to Tools > Review Suggested Edits and accept or reject each one. Once the changes are finalized, select all and copy normally — there will be nothing hidden to carry along.

If you are sharing a document with others and want them to see your final text without knowing who made which edits, the cleanest method is to create a new document, paste the final text into it using paste special, and share that new document instead. This leaves no trace of the editing process.

Why some editors make select all safer than others

Google Docs is designed to keep comments and suggestions separate from the document itself. When you select all and copy, you are copying only the text and images — the comments stay in the original. This is by design: Google Docs assumes you are collaborating and wants to preserve the conversation even if you move the text around. For privacy, this means less risk of accidentally sharing reviewer feedback.

Microsoft Word embeds metadata directly into the file. When you select all and copy, Word copies not just the visible text but also the author names, timestamps, and revision history attached to each change. This is useful if you are tracking who said what, but risky if you want to share a document without revealing the editing history. Word does offer a "Remove All Comments and Tracked Changes" button under Review, which is the safest first step before sharing.

LibreOffice and other open-source editors tend to give you more granular control. You can choose whether to store author information, whether to track changes by default, and what metadata to include when you save. This means you can prevent the problem before it starts — by not storing the hidden information in the first place.

When to select all and when to select only what you need

Use select all when you are reorganizing or reformatting your own document and you trust everything in it. It is fast and works well for changing font size across the whole document, explore a new style, or moving everything to a new file for backup.

Do not use select all if you are about to share the document and you are not sure what is hidden in it. Instead, turn on formatting marks first, review what is there, clean up tracked changes, and then either select only the visible final text or use paste special to strip metadata. This takes an extra minute but prevents accidental oversharing.

If you are working with a document that has been edited by multiple people, select all is especially risky. Each person's edits, comments, and timestamps are embedded in the file. If you select all and copy into a new document without cleaning first, you are copying the entire editing history. Check the Review or Suggestions tab before you select anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does select all include comments and tracked changes?

It depends on the editor. In Google Docs, comments stay in the original document and do not copy with the text. In Microsoft Word and LibreOffice, tracked changes and comments are embedded as metadata and travel with the copied text unless you use paste special or remove them first.

How do I select all without copying the editing history?

Use paste special and choose "Unformatted Text" or "Paste Only Text." This strips away all formatting, metadata, and hidden information. Alternatively, accept or reject all tracked changes before you copy, so there is nothing hidden to carry along.

What is the keyboard shortcut for select all?

Ctrl+A on Windows and Command+A on Mac. This works in Google Docs, Word, LibreOffice, and most other document editors. The behavior is the same — it highlights everything visible — but what gets copied when you paste varies by editor.

Can I select all without selecting the header and footer?

Not with a single keystroke. If you want to exclude headers and footers, click in the main document body first (not in the header or footer area), then use Ctrl+A or Command+A. This selects only the body text. To select headers and footers separately, click inside them first.

Why does my pasted text include red strikethrough marks I did not see before?

Those are tracked changes that were hidden in the original document. To see them before you copy, turn on "Show Tracked Changes" or "Show All Formatting Marks" in the View or Review menu. Once you can see them, you can decide whether to accept them, reject them, or use paste special to exclude them from the copy.