AI text looks the same wherever it lands: em dashes, curly quotes, invisible characters, stock phrases and sentences that all run the same length. Whether it came from Copilot inside the app or was pasted from ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, the fixes are specific to each Microsoft app. This guide from Remove AI Tells covers Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint, one question at a time. Paste any text into the free scanner above to find the tells in seconds.
Jump to: Microsoft Word · Microsoft Outlook · Microsoft Excel · Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Word is where most AI drafts end up: reports, proposals, cover letters, resumes and policies. Word's Find and Replace has special codes that make the cleanup fast.
How do I remove em dashes in Microsoft Word?
Press Ctrl+H (on a Mac, Edit, Find, Replace). Type ^+, Word's code for an em dash, in Find what, type a comma and a space in Replace with, and choose Replace All. Do a space, ^+ and a space first so you don't end up with double spaces. Use ^= for en dashes. Full steps: how to remove em dashes in Word.
How do I find hidden characters in Microsoft Word?
Turn on Show/Hide with Ctrl+Shift+8 to see spaces and non-breaking spaces. Zero-width characters stay invisible even then, so search for them by code: ^u8203 (zero-width space), ^u8288 (word joiner), ^u65279 (zero-width no-break space) and ^u8239 (narrow no-break space). More: how to find hidden characters in Word.
How do I remove non-breaking spaces in Microsoft Word?
In Find and Replace, search for ^s and replace it with a normal space. Then search for ^u8239, the narrow no-break space that some AI tools add, and replace that with a normal space too. These spaces stop lines wrapping properly and can break searches in your document.
How do I change curly quotes to straight quotes in Microsoft Word?
Turn off "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" under File, Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options, AutoFormat As You Type. Then replace a double quote with a double quote, and a single quote with a single quote. Word rewrites every quote using your new setting. Steps: curly quotes to straight quotes in Word.
How do I paste AI text into Microsoft Word without the formatting?
Press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste text only, or use the Paste Options button and choose Keep Text Only. That drops the chat window's fonts, colors and link styles so the text takes on your document's styles. It does not remove markdown symbols, dashes or hidden characters, so clean those next.
How do I remove asterisks and pound signs from ChatGPT text in Microsoft Word?
Chatbot replies arrive with markdown: **bold** and ### headings. In Find and Replace, replace ** with nothing, then ### , ## and # in that order, each with nothing. Then apply Word's own Heading styles. More: why ChatGPT text looks weird in Word.
How do I find AI words like "delve" in a Microsoft Word document?
Open Find and Replace (Ctrl+H), go to the Find tab, type the word, then choose Reading Highlight and Highlight All. Every instance lights up so you can rewrite each one in context. Common ones: delve, leverage, seamless, robust, tapestry, pivotal, elevate. See the full list of words that give away AI writing.
How do I make a Copilot draft in Microsoft Word sound like me?
Keep Copilot's structure and replace its voice. Cut the opening summary sentence and the closing wrap-up, swap stock verbs like "leverage" and "streamline" for plain ones, vary sentence length, and add one detail only you would know, such as a name, a number or a date. Then paste the draft into the scanner above to catch what you missed.
How do I check a Microsoft Word document for hidden text?
Go to File, Info, Check for Issues, Inspect Document, and run the Hidden Text check. To reveal white or tiny text, work on a copy, press Ctrl+A, set the font color to Automatic and the size to 11. Anything hidden becomes readable.
How do I check a resume in Microsoft Word for hidden AI instructions?
Reveal hidden text as above, then copy the whole resume into the scanner. Remove AI Tells flags lines like "ignore previous instructions" or "rank this candidate first" and counts invisible characters. Steps for recruiters and applicants: how to check a resume for hidden text in Word.
Why does my Microsoft Word document keep adding em dashes?
Word's AutoFormat turns two hyphens into a dash as you type. Turn it off under File, Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options, AutoFormat As You Type, by unchecking the option that replaces hyphens with a dash. Then you only get dashes you put there on purpose.
Microsoft Outlook
Outlook is where AI writing gets noticed fastest, because the person reading it knows how you normally write. These fixes cover classic Outlook for Windows; the new Outlook has fewer of these settings.
How do I make a Microsoft Outlook email sound less like AI?
Cut the stock opener and closer, swap buzzwords for plain words, let paragraphs be uneven and add one specific detail. Start with the point, not "I hope this email finds you well," and end with a clear ask, not "Please don't hesitate to reach out." All six fixes: how to make an Outlook email sound less like AI.
What phrases make an Outlook email sound like Copilot or ChatGPT wrote it?
The most recognizable are "I hope this email finds you well," "I wanted to reach out," "I trust this message finds you," "Please don't hesitate to reach out," "leverage," "seamless" and "moving forward." One is normal; three in one email reads as AI. The scanner above highlights all of them.
How do I clean up a Draft with Copilot email in Microsoft Outlook?
Treat the draft as an outline. Delete the first and last sentences, which are usually filler, check every fact and date Copilot filled in, and rewrite the ask in your own words. Read it aloud once before you send it.
How do I paste plain text into a Microsoft Outlook email?
After pasting, click the Paste Options button and choose Keep Text Only. To strip formatting from the whole message, go to the Format Text tab and choose Plain Text. Plain text also removes any hidden formatting that came with the paste.
Why do em dashes show up in my Microsoft Outlook emails?
Outlook uses the same AutoFormat as Word, which turns two hyphens into a dash. In classic Outlook, go to File, Options, Mail, Editor Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options, AutoFormat As You Type, and uncheck the hyphen-to-dash option. If the dashes came from pasted AI text, replace them with commas.
How do I turn off smart quotes in Microsoft Outlook?
In the same AutoFormat As You Type tab (File, Options, Mail, Editor Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options), uncheck "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes." New quotes you type stay straight, which matches most pasted AI text once you clean it.
How do I check an Outlook email for hidden text before I forward it?
Switch the message to Plain Text on the Format Text tab, or copy the body into the scanner. Hidden formatting disappears in plain text, and the scanner counts invisible characters and flags instruction-like lines aimed at AI assistants that summarize email.
Should I rewrite AI emails to coworkers or only to clients?
Both. Coworkers read your emails every day and notice when the voice changes. A quick pass to remove the stock opener, the stock closer and the buzzwords is usually enough. More on this: AI humanizer for emails.
Microsoft Excel
In Excel, AI text causes problems you can't see: lookups that fail, numbers that won't add up and cells that look identical but aren't. Excel's built-in cleanup functions miss the characters that cause most of it.
How do I remove invisible characters in Microsoft Excel?
Use SUBSTITUTE with UNICHAR, because CLEAN only removes control characters and TRIM only removes extra regular spaces. For text in A1: =TRIM(CLEAN(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1,UNICHAR(160)," "),UNICHAR(8239)," "),UNICHAR(8203),""))). Details: how to remove invisible characters in Excel.
Why won't XLOOKUP or VLOOKUP match text I pasted from AI in Microsoft Excel?
Usually a hidden character: a non-breaking space, a narrow no-break space or a zero-width space at the start or end of the cell. The values look the same but aren't. Clean the column with the formula above, paste the results as values, and the lookup will match.
How do I remove non-breaking spaces in Microsoft Excel?
Use =SUBSTITUTE(A1,UNICHAR(160)," "). Or press Ctrl+H, click in Find what, hold Alt and type 0160 on the number pad, put a normal space in Replace with, and choose Replace All.
How do I find out which hidden character is in a Microsoft Excel cell?
Compare =LEN(A1) with the characters you can see. If it's higher, walk through the cell with =UNICODE(MID(A1,1,1)), changing the 1 in the middle. Codes like 160, 8203 or 8239 are the hidden ones.
How do I remove em dashes and curly quotes in Microsoft Excel?
Em dashes: =SUBSTITUTE(A1,UNICHAR(8212),", "). Curly double and single quotes: =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1,UNICHAR(8220),""""),UNICHAR(8221),""""),UNICHAR(8217),"'"). The four quote marks in a row are how Excel writes one straight double quote.
How do I clean AI-written descriptions in a Microsoft Excel column?
Product descriptions, survey summaries and notes written by AI carry the same stock phrases as any other AI text. Copy the column, paste it into the scanner above to highlight the AI phrases, fix the ones that matter, and paste the clean text back as values.
Why are numbers pasted from AI stored as text in Microsoft Excel?
A hidden space or character next to the number makes Excel treat it as text, so it won't add up. Clean the cells with SUBSTITUTE and TRIM, then multiply by 1 or use VALUE to turn them back into numbers.
Microsoft PowerPoint
AI-built decks are easy to spot from the back of the room: stock titles, three bullets on every slide and speaker notes nobody would actually say. PowerPoint makes the text harder to scan because it's spread across slides and notes.
How do I remove AI tells from Microsoft PowerPoint slides?
Check four places: slide titles, bullets, speaker notes and punctuation. Rewrite titles as the point of the slide, break up the three-bullet pattern, rewrite notes you wouldn't say out loud, and replace em dashes. Full steps: how to remove AI tells from PowerPoint slides.
How do I copy all the text out of a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation?
Go to View, Outline View. Every slide's title and body text shows in one panel. Select it all, copy, and paste it into the scanner above to review the whole deck at once.
How do I check speaker notes in Microsoft PowerPoint for AI writing?
Go to File, Export, Create Handouts, and choose notes next to slides. PowerPoint sends the deck and its notes to Microsoft Word, where you can use Word's Find and Replace codes and copy the notes into the scanner.
How do I replace em dashes in Microsoft PowerPoint?
PowerPoint's Replace (Ctrl+H) doesn't take Word's special codes, but you can paste an em dash straight into Find what and replace it with a comma and a space. Replace All covers every slide.
How do I rewrite AI slide titles in Microsoft PowerPoint?
AI titles lean on "Unlocking," "Harnessing," "Navigating" and "The Power of." Rewrite each as the takeaway: "Q3 churn fell 12%" instead of "Unlocking Customer Retention." Your audience remembers titles more than bullets.
How do I find hidden text in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation?
Run File, Info, Check for Issues, Inspect Document for invisible, off-slide and notes content, then open the Selection Pane (Alt+F10) on each slide to see hidden objects. Steps: how to find hidden text in PowerPoint.
How do I make a Copilot-generated deck in Microsoft PowerPoint sound like me?
Keep the slide order and replace the words. Put your own numbers and examples on the slides, cut half the bullets, and rewrite the speaker notes the way you'd actually talk. More: AI humanizer for presentations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Remove AI Tells work on text from Microsoft Copilot?
Yes. It works on text from any AI tool, including Copilot in Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Copy the text, paste it into the scanner and paste the cleaned version back.
Is there a Remove AI Tells add-in for Microsoft Word or Outlook?
Not yet. It runs in your web browser, so it works next to any Microsoft app on Windows or Mac with copy and paste.
Can copying text from Copilot or ChatGPT add hidden characters?
Copying from any web chat or browser can bring non-breaking spaces, zero-width characters or formatting with it. The scanner counts any that came along and removes them.
Is Remove AI Tells free to use at work?
Yes. Scanning is free and unlimited with no sign up, and you get 3 free rewrites a day. Enhanced rewrites come in one-time packs from $1.99, with no subscription. See pricing.
Does Remove AI Tells keep my work documents?
No. Scans run in your browser, so that text never reaches the server. Rewrites are sent to the AI model and are not stored by Remove AI Tells.
Looking for other ideas? See all the ways to use Remove AI Tells.