Before You Send a Word Proposal, Check What Travels With It

Start with a deliberate handoff copy

Microsoft recommends using Document Inspector on a copy because removed information may not be recoverable, even with Undo. Word’s inspector can identify categories including comments, tracked revisions, document properties and hidden text. Microsoft’s Document Inspector guide.

This inspector workflow is for Word on Windows. Microsoft says Word for Mac has no Document Inspector; it offers manual document-property controls instead. Word for the web does not provide the same inspection workflow. Use the appropriate Windows desktop app when you need these inspection steps. Platform differences.

Keep the working original separate. Give the outgoing copy an unmistakable name, such as Client-Proposal-For-Review.docx, and decide who needs it. A colleague editing the next draft may need reviewer notes; a prospective client probably does not need your internal discussion of the opening paragraph. Prepare each version for its reader.

Inspect, then make decisions

In Word for Windows, open File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document. Choose the categories to inspect and run Inspect. Review the results before using Remove All beside a category; then use Reinspect if needed. The available checks include headers, footers and watermarks, so removal should be selective. Microsoft’s Document Inspector guide.

For example, imagine a two-page proposal with a reviewer’s question about the budget and an approved confidentiality notice in its footer. Both deserve attention, but they need different decisions. Resolve the budget question with its owner. Preserve the notice if it belongs in the client version. A fast cleanup cannot substitute for deciding what the document should say.

Resolve tracked changes before cleanup

Review each proposed change and accept or reject it deliberately in the outgoing copy. Choosing No Markup only hides revisions; it does not remove them from the file. Resolve comments with the relevant owner before removing internal discussion. Run the inspector again after the substantive review. Tracked-change review.

Do the visible review too

The inspector has limits: Microsoft says it does not detect white text on a white background or objects concealed behind other objects. A clean inspection result is therefore not a complete confidentiality check. Microsoft’s Document Inspector guide.

Read the outgoing copy from beginning to end. Check client names, figures, links, examples and the final page. Ask a teammate to review it from the recipient’s perspective: what is confusing, unnecessary or intended for a different audience?

Attach the checked file

Before sending, reopen the exact file you plan to attach. Compare its name with your handoff checklist and confirm that it is the reviewed copy. Keep the original where your team normally keeps working material.

The useful habit is simple: separate working history from the outgoing deliverable, inspect deliberately, and finish with a human read-through.

Official sources

• Microsoft’s Document Inspector guide
• Microsoft — Inspect document by platform
• Microsoft — Accept or reject tracked changes

Research note: documentation for Word proposal Document Inspector was checked on 29 October 2026. Document Inspector is a Windows workflow with blind spots; Mac and web differ, and removed information may not be recoverable. No hands-on product test was performed. The cover is an AI-generated illustration, not a software screenshot.