Every Word document stores an author name, and Word also stamps your name on comments and tracked changes. If the wrong name appears, such as a previous owner of the computer, a template’s creator, or your old name, you can change it in a minute. There are actually two separate settings: the Author property of one specific document, and the user name Word uses for new documents and comments. This guide covers both on Windows and Mac.
Quick answer
To change the author of the current document, go to File > Info, right-click the name under Related People > Author, and choose Edit Property. To change the name Word uses from now on, go to File > Options > General and update User name and Initials.
- Open the document and click File > Info.
- On the right, find Related People.
- Right-click the current name next to Author and choose Edit Property.
- Type the new name and click OK.
- Save the document.
To add a second author, click Add an author under the current name. To delete a name, right-click it and choose Remove Person.
Using Advanced Properties
You can also click Properties at the top of the right side of the Info page, choose Advanced Properties, and edit the Author field on the Summary tab. This dialog also shows the title, subject, company, and other details stored in the file.
- Click File > Options.
- On the General page, find Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office.
- Enter your name in User name and your initials in Initials.
- Check Always use these values regardless of sign in to Office so your Microsoft account name doesn’t override them.
- Click OK.
New documents and new comments will use this name. Documents you already created keep their old author until you change them individually.
On a Mac
- Default name: Click Word > Preferences (or Settings) > User Information, and update your name.
- One document: Click File > Properties, open the Summary tab, and edit Author.
Fix the name on comments and tracked changes
Comments and revisions use the user name that was set when they were made. Changing your user name only affects new comments. Existing comments keep the old name. If you need to hide names on existing comments before sharing, use the Document Inspector to remove personal information, which replaces names with “Author.” See how to remove the author from a Word document.
What about “Last Modified By”?
Word updates Last Modified By automatically with the current user name every time the file is saved. You can’t edit it directly. To change it, update your user name in Options, then save the document again.
In File Explorer, right-click the document, choose Properties, open the Details tab, and click the Authors field to edit it. Click OK to save. This is handy for updating several files at once: select them all, then open Properties.
The same steps work in Excel and PowerPoint
Excel and PowerPoint store author information the same way. Use File > Info > Related People to edit a single file, and File > Options > General to change the user name. Because Office apps share this setting on Windows, updating your user name in Word usually updates it in Excel and PowerPoint too.
The author name travels with the file. Anyone who receives your document can see it in File > Info, in File Explorer, or in document management systems that sort files by author. Using the right name keeps credit accurate for school and work, and avoids confusion when a file was started from someone else’s template or on a shared computer.
If every new document starts with someone else’s name, your template may contain that author. Open the template (often Normal.dotm or a company template), change the Author property as shown above, and save the template. Future documents will start with the correct name.
Related: How to stop Word from auto-capitalizing.
Related: Change document properties in Word.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Word keep showing my Microsoft account name?
Word uses your signed-in account name unless you check “Always use these values regardless of sign in to Office” in Options.
Will changing the author affect the document’s content?
No. It only changes the file’s information, not any text in the document.
Can I change the author in Word for the web?
Word for the web uses the name from your Microsoft account. To change it, update your account profile name, or edit the document’s properties in the desktop app.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.