You have hidden text in a Word document that you need to print for review or record keeping. By default, Word hides this text from both the screen and the printer. The cause is a simple setting in the Word Options dialog that controls whether hidden text is displayed and printed. This article explains how to locate that setting and change it so your hidden text appears on paper.
Key Takeaways: Printing Hidden Text in Word
- File > Options > Display > Print hidden text: The single checkbox that enables hidden text to appear in printed output.
- Ctrl+Shift+H: The keyboard shortcut to apply or remove hidden formatting on selected text.
- Ctrl+P > Print All Pages: The print dialog where you can verify that hidden text will be printed before sending the job.
What Is Hidden Text and Why It Does Not Print by Default
Hidden text is a font formatting attribute in Word that makes selected content invisible on screen and in print. When you apply hidden formatting, Word displays the text only when you turn on the Show/Hide button (the paragraph mark icon on the Home tab) or when you specifically enable the display of hidden text in Options. The feature is commonly used for notes, instructor comments, answer keys, or draft annotations that should not distract the reader.
The reason hidden text does not print by default is that Word treats it as non-printing content. The print engine ignores any text that has the hidden attribute applied, regardless of whether you can see it on screen. This behavior prevents accidental disclosure of sensitive or incomplete content. To print hidden text, you must explicitly tell Word to include it in the output through the Options dialog.
Hidden text is not the same as deleted text tracked with Track Changes. Tracked deletions appear as strikethrough and can be printed separately using the Print Markup option. Hidden text is simply invisible unless you turn on the display setting.
Steps to Enable Printing of Hidden Text
- Open the Word Options dialog
Click the File tab in the ribbon, then click Options at the bottom of the left navigation pane. The Word Options dialog opens. - Go to the Display settings
In the Word Options dialog, click Display in the left column. This section controls how content appears on screen and in print. - Check the Print hidden text option
Under the Printing options section, locate the checkbox labeled Print hidden text. Select the checkbox. The setting immediately applies to the current document and all future print jobs in this session. - Confirm with Print Preview
Click OK to close the Options dialog. Press Ctrl+P to open the Print pane. Look at the preview on the right side. Hidden text that was previously invisible in the preview now appears. If you do not see the hidden text, return to step 2 and verify the checkbox is selected. - Print the document
Select your printer and click the Print button. Word now prints all content, including text formatted as hidden.
If You Still Cannot See Hidden Text in the Printed Output
Hidden text is not applied correctly
If the Print hidden text option is enabled but the content still does not print, the text may not actually be formatted as hidden. Select the text that should be hidden and press Ctrl+D to open the Font dialog. Look at the Hidden checkbox under Effects. If it is unchecked, the text is not hidden and will print normally. If it is checked, the text is hidden and should print when the option is enabled.
The Show/Hide button is toggled on but text still missing
Turning on the Show/Hide button (the paragraph symbol on the Home tab) reveals hidden text on screen, but it does not affect printing. The Show/Hide button only controls visual display in the editing view. You must use the Print hidden text option in Word Options to make the text appear on paper.
The document is protected or restricted
If the document has editing restrictions or is marked as final, Word may block changes to print settings. Go to Review > Restrict Editing and check if any restrictions are active. If the document is marked as final, click the Mark as Final banner at the top and choose Edit Anyway. Then repeat the steps above.
Printing to PDF does not include hidden text
When you use the Microsoft Print to PDF driver or a third-party PDF printer, the hidden text may still be omitted if the PDF driver does not honor the Word print setting. To include hidden text in a PDF, enable the Print hidden text option in Word, then choose File > Export > Create PDF/XPS instead of using the Print dialog. The export function respects the same display settings.
Word Print Settings: Hidden Text vs Other Options
| Item | Print Hidden Text (On) | Print Hidden Text (Off) |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden text visibility on screen | Visible only if Show/Hide is on | Visible only if Show/Hide is on |
| Hidden text in Print Preview | Visible | Not visible |
| Hidden text on physical paper | Printed | Not printed |
| Effect on document file size | No change | No change |
| Requires document reopen to apply | No, setting is immediate | No, setting is immediate |
This comparison shows that the Print hidden text option only affects the output stage. The hidden attribute itself remains unchanged. You can toggle the print setting on and off without altering the formatting of the document.
Now you can print hidden text in Word whenever you need to include notes, answers, or draft comments in your hard copy. After printing, remember to open Word Options again and clear the Print hidden text checkbox to restore the default behavior. For future documents, consider using the Comments feature instead of hidden text for annotations, because comments print automatically when you select Print Markup.