Ever since Microsoft has introduced the collaboration feature PowerPoint, where you can collaborate with others users (colleagues, friends, and partners) to design and PowerPoint presentation, it has led to some serious concerns you may not be aware of.
Some undesired malicious hidden content, watermarks, XML data can be inserted into the presentation even without your consent. Document Inspector is an innovative tool to check for such hidden properties.
How to use Document Inspector
- Open the PowerPoint Presentation. Click on the office button (Menu button). Browse to File – Info tab
- Under Check for sharing sub-menu, Choose Inspect Document from the drop-down
- After choosing Inspect Document , it displays a window where you can choose which items you wish to be inspected (Check the description below to know what options to choose)
The first option reveals hidden information regarding comments, version history, user names that have worked on that presentation.
Document properties and personal information basically scans the metadata. Such as titles, users, configuration and some PowerPoint data. However this is not very important, there is very less probability of someone inserting unwanted date into this.
Custom XML data, as its name suggests searches for XML data. XML data is prominently created by PowerPoint. However hidden content may be inserted by other users.
Headers, Footers and Watermarks option for out for user hidden rows, columns, tables in a Presentation. You may not be aware of hidden table’s presence, but they can unhide to others. If you copy content from a website or another presentation, these formatted footers, hidden texts, watermarks may also be inherited as well.
The last two options are the most significant options of Document Inspector. It basically scans for hidden formatted text and content in your PowerPoint Presentation. The new update in 2010 version also finds objects, shapes that are covered by other objects.
Remember to make to perform a document inspector before mailing your presentation to a potential client or organization for a business proposal.
This is a submitted article by Snehil who is a media consultant, he often works with PowerPoint. He publishes Free PPT Templates and Color Templates
Rihaaz@adobe certificate
Nov 05. 2012
What a great article.I am searching in google from couple of days about document inspector.but i din’t find any complete knowledge.But now my journey came to an end.Thanks a lot for this informative and useful article.