How to Delete Word Documents on a Mac

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Free up hard drive space on your Mac by deleting unneeded Microsoft Word files

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Last Updated: February 24, 2025

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• Via Finder
|
• Via Word
|
• Q&A
|
• Tips
|
• Warnings

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Sometimes, it can be difficult to remove a document from your system. Deleting a Word document is no different from deleting other kinds of documents or files, but if you're having trouble, the methods below should do the trick.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Via Finder

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1. 
   1
   Open the document location in finder.
2. 
   2
   Select the document. It should be highlighted in blue.
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3. 
   3
   Right click (Ctrl and click) on the selected document.
4. 
   4
   Select Move to Trash.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Via Word

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1. 
   1
   Open Microsoft Word. This method will only work if the document has been edited on the activate computer before.
2. 
   2
   In the startup window that is shown on launch, select Recent or Recent Documents (depending on which version of Word you are using).
3. 
   3
   Scroll through the list until the desired document is found.
4. 
   4
   Select the document.
5. 
   5
   Select Show in Finder.
6. 
   6
   Right-click (Ctrl and click) on the highlighted document.
7. 
   7
   Select Move to Trash.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How do I delete multiple documents at the same time?

  

  Community Answer

  Once you've navigated to the folder with the documents you want to delete, you can click and drag your mouse or use the Shift key to select multiple documents at once. Once the documents are selected, click and drag them to the trash can.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 16 Helpful 1
• Question

  How do you remove the empty boxes that remain after you delete a document in Word for Mac 2011?

  

  Community Answer

  Close the program without saving your work. Word does it automatically.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 18 Helpful 2

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Tips

• If the document doesn't show up either time, try using spotlight (⌘ Cmd+Space) to search your computer for the document - you can enter the title or anything in the document here.
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Warnings

• Even when the trash has been emptied, the document can be recovered by police experts and hackers. If it contains sensitive information, empty the document by deleting all contents before deleting it.
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  Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• If the document will still take up space on your computer until you empty the trash. (Empty the trash by selecting the trash can at the far right of the dock at the bottom of the screen and right-clicking/(Ctrl and clicking in the window and choosing "Empty Trash".
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