If the checkbox and option is turned off and grayed out like in the image below, you will have to do one thing before you can turn it on, you need to first run Document Inspector by pressing the button on this screen and manually remove all metadata under “Comments, Revisions, Versions and Annotations.” (You can run Document Inspector at any time to manually remove metadata from a Word document.).Your redlines should now stay as-is when you save the document. To turn it off, uncheck the box, click “ OK,” and close Word Options. If it’s turned on, it will look like this.You’ll find what you are looking for under “ Document-Specific Settings” – it’s the option “ Remove personal information from file properties on save.”
(I’ve had situations where my business team commented on a draft assuming the “Author” redlines in an agreement were my redlines, when they were really from the other side.) This author information for redlines is one example of the “metadata” that Microsoft Word saves with your document. There’s nothing more frustrating than redlining a document only to find your edits changed to Author the second you save your draft. You’ve probably noticed that in certain documents, as soon as you click “Save” all of your Word redlines change color and switch from your name to “Author.” If you’re like me, when negotiating or commenting up a document with others I prefer to “layer” redlines in different colors so everyone knows whose comments and redlines are whose. This can help avoid confusion and keep the negotiation process running as efficiently as possible.