To find text that looks missing, check its font color and contrast—not just the app’s hidden-text controls. In Word, the Hidden attribute is a separate formatting setting; in Google Docs, inspect the selected text’s color manually. Word for Windows also offers an Accessibility Assistant that can flag poor contrast.
First, distinguish white font from Word’s Hidden attribute
“Hidden text” can mean two different things. Text colored white on a white page is still ordinary text with a font-color setting; Word’s Hidden attribute is a separate formatting property. Word’s option to display hidden text reveals that attribute, not every white-colored passage.
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Find concealed text in Microsoft Word
Check for Word’s Hidden attribute
- Open File > Options > Display.
- Under Always show these formatting marks on the screen, select Hidden text. Word displays a dotted line beneath text formatted as hidden. Microsoft documents this option for Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016 in its Word Options (Display) help.
- To show or hide formatting marks, use Home > Show/Hide ¶. This is useful for locating text carrying Word’s Hidden attribute; it does not establish that text in white font has been found.
Inspect text that may be white or low contrast
- Select the suspected passage.
- Open Home > Font Color and inspect the selected color. If you need to preserve the original formatting for review, record or otherwise note it before changing anything.
- If appropriate, choose a visible color to make the text readable. Changing the color alters formatting, so avoid doing so before review when the original appearance matters.
Use Word’s Accessibility Assistant on Windows
In Word for Windows, choose Review > Check Accessibility. Microsoft says Accessibility Assistant flags text colors with poor contrast and suggests improvements. Its checks can take account of page color, table-cell backgrounds, highlights, text-box fill, paragraph shading, shape or SmartArt fills, headers and footers, and links. See Microsoft’s Accessibility Assistant documentation.
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Treat the Assistant as a screening aid: a contrast warning does not show that text was deliberately concealed, and the documentation does not promise a complete inventory of every white-font run. The cited instructions apply to Word for Windows, so do not assume the same feature is available in every Word edition or platform.
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Inspect text color in Google Docs
- Select the text that appears missing or difficult to read.
- Inspect the toolbar’s Text color control and use its color picker to identify the selected color.
- For keyboard navigation, open menu search with Alt + / on Windows or ChromeOS, or Option + / on Mac, then search for
text color. Google describes the toolbar and menu-search options in its Google Docs screen-reader guide.
The reviewed Google help explains how to inspect or change a selection’s color, but does not document an automated whole-document inventory of white text. Google’s accessibility guidance recommends checking contrast; it is not a description of a dedicated white-text scanner. That guidance also cautions that screen readers may not announce formatting changes such as boldface or highlighting.
What contrast advice can—and cannot—tell you
Google’s accessibility page states, “High color contrast makes text and images easier to read and comprehend.” It attributes recommendations of 4.5:1 for large text and 7:1 for other text and images to WCAG 2.0. These are contrast recommendations, not a detection method for hidden white text in either app.
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Choose the check that matches the problem
| What you want to find | Word | Google Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Text with Word’s Hidden attribute | Turn on File > Options > Display > Hidden text; Word shows a dotted underline. | The cited Google guidance does not describe an equivalent Word Hidden-attribute check. |
| White or otherwise low-contrast font | Select text and inspect Home > Font Color; Word for Windows can also flag poor contrast with Review > Check Accessibility. | Select text and inspect the toolbar’s Text color control or search menus for “text color.” |
| Whole-document white-font scan | The cited Microsoft documentation describes a contrast review, not a guarantee of a complete white-font inventory. | The cited Google documentation does not describe a dedicated whole-document white-text scanner. |
White or low-contrast text alone does not establish intent. Check the actual formatting and surrounding context before deciding why it is present.
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