One thing numerous writers need to know is just how much time they’re investing in writing. If you utilize Microsoft Word, you’re in luck, since it’s simple to learn how much time you’ve spent modifying a file.

When you begin dealing with a brand-new document, Word begins a timer. When you conserve the file, Word saves the time you’ve spent working on it to the document’s metadata. Every time you work on the file and after that save it again, Word adds the new time to whatever’s currently in the metadata. This offers a running total of the time spent editing the file. You can easily discover the time invested modifying a document, along with information like when the file was last modified or printed, from within Word or directly in Windows’ File Explorer.

This information is useful enough if you like tracking how long you’ve dealt with a document. It ends up being even handier if you need to report that time to a client or employer.

There is one essential thing to remember when seeing this info, though. Word does not in fact count the time you’re actively editing a file– simply the time that file is open. So, if you open up a file and leave it open all day without dealing with it, that time counts.

Find the Editing Time on a Document from Within Word

If you’ve currently got the document open in Word, switch to the “File” menu.

On the sidebar that appears, click the “Info” command (it’s most likely currently selected by default when you open the “File” menu.

Over on the right, the “Info” pane reveals different information about your document. Under the “Properties” section, you’ll see the “Total Editing Time” value. And note that Word always shows the time in minutes– you will not see hours or seconds.

Discover the Editing Time on a Document from Windows File Explorer

You do not even need to open a Word document to discover this info. Rather, you can pop open the file’s residential or commercial properties window straight from File Explorer.

To do so, right-click the file and then pick the “Properties” command from the context menu.

In the properties window, switch to the “Details” tab, scroll down a bit, and you’ll see the “Total Editing Time” entry.

Which’s all there is to it! It’s a helpful little feature. Just bear in mind that it’s not extremely accurate given that Word counts the time the document is open rather than the time you’re in fact typing away.

One thing lots of writers desire to understand is how much time they’re spending on composing. Every time you work on the file and then conserve it again, Word includes the brand-new time to whatever’s already in the metadata. Word doesn’t actually count the time you’re actively modifying a file– just the time that document is open. Under the “Properties” area, you’ll see the “Total Editing Time” value.