Short answer
What you need to know
Review the visible document, filename, properties, comments, revisions, hidden content, links, attachments, accessibility, and final exported copy. Preserve the source and confirm the recipient will receive the intended file.
Content and identity
Confirm the filename, title, author information, visible text, page order, formulas, and dates.
Remove placeholders, private notes, personal identifiers, and unrelated material only after confirming they are not required.
Hidden structure and editing history
Review comments, tracked changes, hidden text, headers, footers, properties, worksheet visibility, names, annotations, attachments, links, and objects.
Check invisible Unicode or pasted formatting when text behaves unexpectedly.
Final delivery check
Export a new distribution copy, reopen it in the recipient's likely application, and verify links, fonts, accessibility, redactions, and layout.
Scan the final copy, compare it with the original, and send only the intended version.
Important limitation
Verify important findings
A checklist reduces mistakes but cannot cover every proprietary feature, security rule, or retention obligation. Adapt it to your institution or organization.
Further reading
Authoritative references
These primary sources support the manual steps in this guide. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement of Hidden Word Scanner.