MS Word Document Properties: Part 1 Automation

As a technical writer for over twenty years, I’ve found that if you use the hidden features in Word, you can write very long documents, and avoid issues such as documents crashing and losing data.

Document Information, often referred to as metadata, consists of hidden details about a file that describe or identify it.

In Microsoft Word, by correctly configuring these properties, such as the document title, author, subject, and keywords, you can transform a static file into a searchable, organized, and professional asset.

This tutorial from the tech docs team at Klariti outlines the rationale for utilizing these features and provides a tiered guide to implementation, ranging from basic property entry to advanced custom field manipulation.

Purpose and Benefits

Understanding why you should populate Document Information is critical for efficient document management.

• Enhanced Searchability: Operating systems (e.g. Windows) and document management systems index these properties. A user can locate a file by searching for its “Tag” or “Subject” without needing to know the exact filename.
• Automation and Consistency: Properties such as “Version” or “Status” can be linked to the content within the document. When you update the property in the back end, every instance of that text in the document updates automatically, reducing errors.
• Professional Presentation: When a Word document is converted to PDF, the Title property often becomes the window title or the bookmark name. A generic “Document1” title appears unprofessional compared to “Q3 Financial Report.”
• Organization: In shared network drives or SharePoint environments, metadata allows for sorting and grouping files by Author, Category, or Status, which is significantly more robust than organizing by folders alone.

Implementation Guide

The following three examples show how to set up Document Information, progressing from simple data entry to advanced custom property manipulation. 

You can see how these are configured in the YouTube video above.

Level 1: Basic Configuration (Info Panel)

Goal: Set the core identity of the document (Title, Author, Tags) to ensure it is identifiable in file explorers.

1. Open your Microsoft Word document.
2. Click on the File tab in the top left corner to enter the Backstage view.
3. Select Info from the left-hand menu.
4. Locate the Properties section on the right side of the screen.
5. Click directly on the text next to Title (e.g., “Add a title”) and type your specific title (e.g., “Project Alpha Proposal”).
6. Repeat this process for Tags (keywords for search) and Comments.
7. Result: The document now carries embedded metadata that travels with the file, improving search indexing and PDF export labelling.

Level 2: Intermediate Implementation (Dynamic Content)

Goal: Use Document Properties to dynamically populate text within the document, such as a cover page that updates automatically if the title changes.

1. Navigate to the location in your document where you want the information to appear (e.g., the center of the Cover Page).
2. Click the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
3. Locate the Text group and click Quick Parts (sometimes represented by an icon of a document with text).
4. Hover over Document Property.
5. Select Title from the list.
6. Result: Word inserts a content control field displaying the Title you set in Level 1. If you change the Title in the Info panel (or directly in this control), it updates everywhere else this property is used.

Level 3: Advanced Customization (Custom Properties & Fields)

Goal: Create a data point that does not exist by default (e.g., “Client Name” or “Contract Expiry”) and insert it into the document using field codes.

1. Click File > Info.
2. Click the Properties dropdown menu (top of the right column) and select Advanced Properties.
3. Navigate to the Custom tab in the dialog box.
4. In the Name field, type ClientName.
5. In the Type dropdown, select Text.
6. In the Value field, type the client’s name (e.g., “Acme Corp”) and click Add, then OK.
7. Return to your document editor.
8. Click Insert > Quick Parts > Field.
9. In the Field names list, select DocProperty.
10. In the Property list, select your new custom property ClientName and click OK.
11. Result: The text “Acme Corp” appears. Changing the value in Advanced Properties will update this text throughout the document upon refreshing fields (F9), allowing for rapid template reuse.

Comparison of Methods

The following table summarizes the three levels of implementation and their appropriate use cases.

Method	Complexity	Primary Use Case
Info Panel	Low	Basic file identification, search optimization, and PDF metadata.
Quick Parts	Medium	Dynamic cover pages, headers/footers, and ensuring consistent titles.
Custom Fields	High	Legal contracts, complex reports requiring specific variables (e.g., Client ID).

Additional Benefits

A frequently overlooked implication of Document Information is the security risk associated with Hidden Metadata. While adding information is beneficial for organization, it can inadvertently reveal sensitive data such as previous authors, editing time, or internal comments when sharing files externally.

According to Microsoft support documentation, the “Inspect Document” feature (File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document) is the standard protocol for scrubbing this data before final distribution.

Failing to remove sensitive custom properties or track changes buried in metadata is a common cause of data leakage in corporate environments.

I hope you found this helpful. In the following tutorials, I’ll walk you through other ways to automate your Word docs. Any questions, drop us a line on our YT channel.