Hidden text paragraphs impact format of the following non hidden paragraph

Question

Hidden text paragraphs impact format of the following non hidden paragraph

Patrick Bourdon 40

This change is recent.

I am a teacher an I am been using hidden text for long to include answers in homework or assessments for students. This way, I include the exam questions and the answers in the same document. By choosing whether or not to display hidden characters and hidden paragraphs, I can easily generate the exam questions and the answer key as PDF files.

For some time now, the exam questions (where hidden characters do not appear) are not formatted correctly.

After some tests, the reason is as follows:

If a non-hidden paragraph is preceded by one or more hidden paragraphs (whose paragraph marks are hidden), then the indentation values of the non-hidden paragraph are altered. The indentation values then become those of the first hidden paragraph following the last preceding non-hidden paragraph.

I haven’t found a solution to this problem, and it’s very, very annoying.

Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-09T12:34:55.6933333+00:00

You say that version/update 2602 fixed the issue.

My MS Office version is up-to-date and is 2607.

The problem I just reported is NOT fixed.
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-09T18:07:11.1933333+00:00

I am not able to reproduce this, assuming that I understood your description of the problem correctly.

Would you mind uploading a screen shot, so that we can have a closer look?

You may also want to share a sample document for illustration.
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-09T20:54:04.61+00:00

To provide a sample document, save it on OneDrive or DropBox and post a share link here. Do not post confidential or proprietary content.
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-09T20:56:38.9166667+00:00

I have not tried to duplicate but have a suggestion for a workaround. Mark the text as hidden, perhaps using a character style, but not the paragraph. Leave the paragraph marker unhidden.
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T08:08:30.9066667+00:00

Here is a sample document:
https://stsulpice-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/pbourdon_st-sulpice_fr/IQA6AffsTYmLSbg4nY8oQIGiAYc0_JW25CoEg9snTCQhVtc?e=zkFWJB

Every paragraph starting with a red X is incorectly indented when hidden text is not visible.
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T08:15:35.7533333+00:00

Another lien to the same file: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QOYBTGihpx9f0B038Ma1EXmhAKm6dEOz
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T09:46:54.4233333+00:00

@Patrick Bourdon

I've had a first look at your sample document, and while I see the problem, I do not see an obvious explanation. I'll think more about it.

@Charles Kenyon , have you had time to take a look? Are you perhaps able to offer some further insights?
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T18:59:01.83+00:00

Same response as Stefan. I see what is happening. I do not know why. I will think about it.
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T19:07:28.5033333+00:00

Same response as Stefan. I see what is happening. I do not know why. I will think about it.

Charles, one of my ideas has been that style inheritance would play a role in an explanation (or in a possible explanation). I have not yet come any further in this line of thinking, though.
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T02:36:07.98+00:00

Hi Stefan,

Charles, one of my ideas has been that style inheritance would play a role in an explanation (or in a possible explanation). I have not yet come any further in this line of thinking, though.

See @Patrick Bourdon 's answer of Aug 10 and my answer of Aug 10.

I suggested pasting into a new document with the same styles. He goes into the path of style inheritance.
Maier, Michael 0 Reputation points

2026-08-13T15:07:21.4833333+00:00

I noticed a similar problem today. A "hidden text" style is affecting the "non-hidden text" style of the text following it. In this case it is affecting the bulleting of the line, but only when "Show/Hide Paragraph Marks" is toggled to Hide.

Image with Show Paragraph Marks

Image with Hide Paragraph Marks
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-24T07:56:09.48+00:00

Fixed with
Aetherin 1,705 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-24T14:16:57.0466667+00:00

It is possible that a recent update has improved or resolved the issue. Thank you for sharing your experience and taking the time to confirm the outcome, @Patrick Bourdon.

Answer accepted by question author

Aetherin 1,705 Independent Advisor

Hi @Patrick Bourdon,

First, just a quick note that I'm a fellow community member and not a Microsoft representative. I'd be glad to discuss this with you and learn a bit more about what you're experiencing. If I happen to come across anything that may be helpful, I'll be happy to share it. Hopefully, together we can gain a better understanding of the behavior you're seeing.

On my side, I'm currently using the Word version shown below, and after trying to recreate the scenario involving hidden and visible paragraphs, the document appears to behave as expected.

User's image

With that in mind, would you mind sharing a few additional details about your setup and what you're observing:

What exact version and build of Word are you currently using?
Does the indentation issue only appear after you hide the hidden text, or is the formatting already incorrect even when the hidden paragraphs are visible in the document?
Does the problem occur in all documents, or only in a specific document/template? If you create a brand-new document with a few hidden and visible paragraphs, can you reproduce the issue?
Could you try opening Word in Safe Mode and check whether the issue still occurs? Press Windows + R, type winword /safe, and then open or recreate the document to test the behavior.
Does the same issue occur if you open the document in Word for the web or on a different computer?

I look forward to your response and any additional findings you can share. Thank you for taking time.

0 comments

Answer recommended by moderator

Charles Kenyon 170.7K Volunteer Moderator

I tested your document and observe the problem. In your document making the paragraph mark in the hidden paragraph not hidden made no difference.

I am not able to reproduce the problem in a new document.

I tried pasting the entire content of your document into a new blank document. The problem did not appear there.

I pasted everything except the last paragraph mark.

Recommendation:

Create a new blank template.
Copy your styles into that template using the Organizer.
Save the template.
Create a new document based on the template and copy the content of your problem document into that new document except for the last paragraph mark.

Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T21:23:21.8266667+00:00

Thanks. I didn't know about the Organizer. I asked ChatGPT to find it. It first tells me to look in Options but I never find it. It eventually tells me that there is no organizer anymore in recent Word versions (sic !)

I created a new file and copy a complete file into it (about 100 pages) except the last paragraph as you recommended (?!). This also copies the styles. The issue disappears in many places but not everywhere and ther is still too much remaining.
It is very strange (but a bug is always strange until you understand it).
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T23:36:48.1333333+00:00

ChatGPT is wrong about the Organizer dialog box. The quickest way to open it is from the Macros dialog box (press Alt+F8 or Alt+Fn+F8 on some keyboards).
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T20:45:27.0733333+00:00

Another way to get to it is through the Manage Styles dialog, clicking Import/Export.

Here is my writing on the Organizer: https://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm#Organizer

3 additional answers

Your answer

Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-09T12:34:55.6933333+00:00

You say that version/update 2602 fixed the issue.

My MS Office version is up-to-date and is 2607.

The problem I just reported is NOT fixed.
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-09T18:07:11.1933333+00:00

I am not able to reproduce this, assuming that I understood your description of the problem correctly.

Would you mind uploading a screen shot, so that we can have a closer look?

You may also want to share a sample document for illustration.
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-09T20:54:04.61+00:00

To provide a sample document, save it on OneDrive or DropBox and post a share link here. Do not post confidential or proprietary content.
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-09T20:56:38.9166667+00:00

I have not tried to duplicate but have a suggestion for a workaround. Mark the text as hidden, perhaps using a character style, but not the paragraph. Leave the paragraph marker unhidden.
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T08:08:30.9066667+00:00

Here is a sample document:
https://stsulpice-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/pbourdon_st-sulpice_fr/IQA6AffsTYmLSbg4nY8oQIGiAYc0_JW25CoEg9snTCQhVtc?e=zkFWJB

Every paragraph starting with a red X is incorectly indented when hidden text is not visible.
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T08:15:35.7533333+00:00

Another lien to the same file: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QOYBTGihpx9f0B038Ma1EXmhAKm6dEOz
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T09:46:54.4233333+00:00

@Patrick Bourdon

I've had a first look at your sample document, and while I see the problem, I do not see an obvious explanation. I'll think more about it.

@Charles Kenyon , have you had time to take a look? Are you perhaps able to offer some further insights?
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T18:59:01.83+00:00

Same response as Stefan. I see what is happening. I do not know why. I will think about it.
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T19:07:28.5033333+00:00

Same response as Stefan. I see what is happening. I do not know why. I will think about it.

Charles, one of my ideas has been that style inheritance would play a role in an explanation (or in a possible explanation). I have not yet come any further in this line of thinking, though.
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T02:36:07.98+00:00

Hi Stefan,

Charles, one of my ideas has been that style inheritance would play a role in an explanation (or in a possible explanation). I have not yet come any further in this line of thinking, though.

See @Patrick Bourdon 's answer of Aug 10 and my answer of Aug 10.

I suggested pasting into a new document with the same styles. He goes into the path of style inheritance.
Maier, Michael 0 Reputation points

2026-08-13T15:07:21.4833333+00:00

I noticed a similar problem today. A "hidden text" style is affecting the "non-hidden text" style of the text following it. In this case it is affecting the bulleting of the line, but only when "Show/Hide Paragraph Marks" is toggled to Hide.

Image with Show Paragraph Marks

Image with Hide Paragraph Marks
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-24T07:56:09.48+00:00

Fixed with
Aetherin 1,705 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-24T14:16:57.0466667+00:00

It is possible that a recent update has improved or resolved the issue. Thank you for sharing your experience and taking the time to confirm the outcome, @Patrick Bourdon.
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T21:23:21.8266667+00:00

Thanks. I didn't know about the Organizer. I asked ChatGPT to find it. It first tells me to look in Options but I never find it. It eventually tells me that there is no organizer anymore in recent Word versions (sic !)

I created a new file and copy a complete file into it (about 100 pages) except the last paragraph as you recommended (?!). This also copies the styles. The issue disappears in many places but not everywhere and ther is still too much remaining.
It is very strange (but a bug is always strange until you understand it).
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T23:36:48.1333333+00:00

ChatGPT is wrong about the Organizer dialog box. The quickest way to open it is from the Macros dialog box (press Alt+F8 or Alt+Fn+F8 on some keyboards).
Charles Kenyon 170.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T20:45:27.0733333+00:00

Another way to get to it is through the Manage Styles dialog, clicking Import/Export.

Here is my writing on the Organizer: https://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm#Organizer

Answer 1

Aetherin 1,705 Independent Advisor

Hi @Patrick Bourdon,

Based on my experience and what I see in your file, the issue does not appear to be caused by hidden text itself. Instead, it seems related to the custom paragraph styles used for the answer/correction sections, which have their own hidden and indentation settings. When those hidden paragraphs are suppressed, the following visible paragraph may inherit or be affected by their indentation.

Looking at the document structure, the answer styles (Corrig, Corrig-Court, and Corrig-SQL) are configured with the Hidden (w:vanish) attribute in the style definition. The first hidden answer paragraph also carries its own indentation and numbering settings, which appears to influence the formatting of the next visible paragraph.

As a test, I opened the sample you provided and:

Opened the Styles pane.
Located the Corrigé style.

User's image

Right-clicked the style and selected Modify.

User's image

Went to Format > Paragraph and temporarily set: Left indent: 0, Right indent: 0, Special: None

User's image

Saved the changes.
Selected the first answer line (·Gestion des accès aux données (confidentialité, RGPD)) and pressed Ctrl + Q to reset any direct paragraph formatting back to the style defaults.

User's image

After making these changes, the indentation behavior appeared much more consistent on my side.

User's image

Could you give this a try and let me know whether it improves the formatting in your document as well?

Looking forward to your response.

Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T15:17:29.97+00:00
This is exactly the behaviour I reported:

If a non-hidden paragraph is preceded by one or more hidden paragraphs (whose paragraph marks are hidden), then the indentation values of the non-hidden paragraph are altered. The indentation values then become those of the first hidden paragraph following the last preceding non-hidden paragraph.

I made some test exactly as you did.

You've set the left indentation to 0 to style "Corrigé". This fixes the indentation of the paragraph with the first red X. But now XQ3 and XQ4 paragraphs have no indentation since their preceding paragraphs have no identation (but they should).

The indentation of a non-hidden paragraph depends on the indentation of some previous hidden paragraph. There is no solution to fix that, while changing the styles. The answers don't have a single format, They may contain bullets, figure table ...

I think this is a bug (introduced by some changes) since it was working properly before.

I found a workaround today: I open the file and export pdf using "LibreOffice Writer": the formatting is then correct.

I hope Microsoft team will find and fix it.
Thanks.
Aetherin 1,705 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-11T18:52:06.21+00:00

Hi @Patrick Bourdon, I'm glad to hear that you were able to find a workaround that works for your scenario. If you're using a work or school account, and especially if you're a teacher or staff member, you may also consider reaching out to your school's IT administrator if you'd like to investigate this issue further. They can open a support ticket with Microsoft so that Microsoft engineers can take a closer look at the behavior and help determine the underlying cause.

This would allow Microsoft engineers to investigate the behavior in more detail, determine whether it is related to a recent update or another underlying issue, and potentially suggest additional troubleshooting steps or workarounds. If the behavior is confirmed to be a product issue, they may also be able to escalate it to the appropriate product team for further review and resolution.

Thank you again for sharing your findings.
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-14T16:10:18.61+00:00

Hi all,

I completely recreate the style hierachy from an empty document. I simplified some left indentations for the issue being less dramatic when it appears.

Then I copy/paste my original document. The issue disappears but no completely. When there are many hidden paragraphs, the left indenttation may still not be Ok. But it really better.

My feeling is: there is a bug, but I dont really understand the process to contact my school technical admin to open a support ticket. I won't do that because I know he won't be able to do it. Don't we have enough material here to do that ?

I then accept the answers.
Thank you all.
Patrick.

Answer 2

Patrick Bourdon 40

Hello,

I just found an easy way to reproduce the issue from scratch.

Create a new docx file.

Insert two text paragraphs: "Lorem ipsum ....".
Insert in between an hidden paragraph that is indentetd and that contains an equation.

User's image

The second text paragraph is now indented when hidden text is not displayed.

User's image

But this also appends in other situations.

Aetherin 1,705 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-16T00:08:11.5833333+00:00

Good day @Patrick Bourdon,

Thank you for your continued engagement on this topic.

I've carefully reviewed all of your replies, and I truly appreciate the time and effort you've invested, as well as your thoughtful feedback throughout the discussion.

I also greatly appreciate your dedication in investigating this issue and continuously looking for ways to improve and optimize the overall experience.

Based on the reproduction steps you shared, I tested the scenario on my side and was able to observe the same behavior.

Given that the results are consistent, my understanding is that this is likely related to a product-side change or update.

If you have some time, you may also want to share your feedback on the Word Community. It's an official channel for providing feedback directly to the product team, and it also allows other users experiencing the same behavior to find and upvote your post, which can help increase visibility.

If you do create a post, please feel free to share the link with me. I'd be more than happy to upvote it in support of your feedback.

For now, I think the best approach is to continue monitoring the behavior and keep an eye on any changes introduced in future product updates.

Once again, thank you for your engagement and for taking the time to discuss this issue with us.
Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-16T23:38:43.0733333+00:00

I add the steps to reproduce the bug in a comment of an issue open 10 days ago:

https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/cc866d4d-c591-f111-9b47-6045bd856709
Aetherin 1,705 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-17T15:08:23.2866667+00:00

Hi,

I've upvoted your feedback item. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into documenting the issue.

Answer 3

Patrick Bourdon 40

User's image

When hidden text is visible.

When not visible, paragraphs starting with a red X moved.

User's image

The problems occur on a bunch of file which are built from the same template (i.e. same set of styles).

Note: if you copy/paste the entire short file I provided in a new file, then the issue disappears but formatting is different (aptis instraed of calibri...). I did not try yet with bigger files.

Patrick Bourdon 40 Reputation points

2026-08-10T08:54:16.4033333+00:00

Here is a link to a small file:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QOYBTGihpx9f0B038Ma1EXmhAKm6dEOz?usp=sharing