Take author names, comments, tracked changes, and hidden sheets out of a Word or Excel file before you send it. The file stays in your browser and is never uploaded.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter is never sent anywhere.Your input is never sent anywhere.
DetailsDrag a Word or Excel file here
or click to choose a .docx or .xlsx file
This tool may not find every kind of hidden data. Open the cleaned file and review it before you send it.
What your Word and Excel files say about you without showing it
Every .docx and .xlsx file carries information that never appears on the page. The author and last-modified-by names, company and manager fields, comments, tracked changes, and hidden worksheets all travel with the file when you attach it to an email or post it online.
The usual accidents are easy to picture: a proposal built from last year's client file that still names the old client in its properties, a contract where a deleted price is still stored as a tracked deletion, or a quote that goes out with the internal cost sheet hidden but not removed.
Drop a file here and the tool lists what it finds. You pick what to clear and download a cleaned copy. The work happens in your browser tab, so the file is not uploaded anywhere.
When to clean a file before sending it
Contracts and proposals going to a client
Check for leftover comments, tracked deletions, and reviewer names before a Word document leaves your company.
Files built from an old template
When you copy last quarter's document to start a new one, the previous client's name can stay in the properties or the revision history.
Spreadsheets with a hidden cost sheet
See every hidden and very hidden sheet in a workbook, then unhide or delete the ones that should not go out with a customer quote.
Resumes, reports, and files you post online
Author, company, and last-modified-by fields show up in the properties of any downloaded file. Clear them before you publish.
How to remove author names and tracked changes from a file
- Drag a .docx or .xlsx file into the box, or click Choose file.
- Read the scan results: metadata fields, comments, tracked changes, reviewers, and hidden sheets.
- Keep the checkboxes you want. For Excel files, choose Leave as is, Unhide, or Delete for each hidden sheet.
- Click Clean and download. The cleaned copy is saved with _cleaned added to the file name.
- Open the cleaned file and look it over before you send it.
Note: The scan and the cleaning both run in your browser. The file is not sent anywhere.
Limits to know before you send the file
- The tool edits the XML inside the file, so it cannot promise to find every kind of hidden data. Always review the cleaned copy.
- Tracked changes are accepted, not rejected. Only the main document body is processed, not headers, footers, or footnotes.
- Created and modified dates, the application name, and custom properties are not cleared.
- In Excel files, cell notes and threaded comments are not removed. Only document properties and hidden sheets are handled.
- Deleting a sheet can break formulas on other sheets that refer to it. When in doubt, unhide the sheet and read it first.
- Keep your original file. The tool saves the cleaned version as a separate download.
What gets removed from .docx and .xlsx files
The items below can be detected and cleared, along with what a recipient could learn if you leave them in.
| Item | File type | What someone else could see |
|---|---|---|
| Author, last modified by | .docx, .xlsx | The names of the people who wrote and last saved the file |
| Company, manager | .docx, .xlsx | Employer and manager names stored in the file properties |
| Title, subject, tags, category, status, comments | .docx, .xlsx | Project names, client names, or internal labels typed into the properties |
| Comments | .docx | Review notes meant for your team, with the name of each commenter |
| Tracked changes | .docx | Text that was deleted, and who changed what |
| Reviewer list | .docx | The names of everyone who has edited or commented |
| Editing session IDs (rsid) | .docx | Internal IDs that mark editing sessions and can hint that two files share a source |
| Hidden and very hidden sheets | .xlsx | Any data on sheets that are not visible in the tab bar |
Why deleted text and hidden sheets can still be read
What the file stores behind the page, and why checking the print preview is not enough.
A Word or Excel file is a package of XML files
A .docx or .xlsx file is a ZIP archive that holds several XML files. Document properties, comments, revision records, and every worksheet each live in their own part. What you see on screen is only some of that content.
Tracked deletions keep the deleted words
When Track Changes is on, Word does not erase deleted text. It keeps it inside the file, marked with the author's name. Switching the markup view to No Markup hides it, but the file still contains it. Anyone who opens the file and switches the view to All Markup can read the earlier wording.
Hidden sheets are only hidden from the tab bar
A hidden sheet is a normal sheet with a visibility flag. Anyone can right-click a sheet tab and choose Unhide. A very hidden sheet does not appear in that dialog, but its data is still in the file, and this tool lists it too.
Clean the file as the last step
Run the tool after the final edit, not before. If you edit the file again in Word or Excel, your name goes back into the last-modified-by field when you save.
Common mistakes when sending Word and Excel files
A new proposal still names the old client
You copied last year's file to start a new proposal, and the company and title fields in the properties were never updated.
💡 See the solution▼
Switching to No Markup and calling it done
The text looks clean on screen, but the tracked deletions and comments are still stored in the file.
💡 See the solution▼
A hidden cost sheet goes out with the quote
The workbook sent to the customer still contains a sheet with margins or internal notes that someone hid months ago.
💡 See the solution▼
Cleaning the file, then editing it again
You clear the properties, then fix a typo in Word and save. Word writes your name into the last-modified-by field again.
💡 See the solution▼
FAQ: tracked changes, hidden sheets, and file privacy
Q.What does this tool remove from Word and Excel files?
A. In both file types it can clear the document properties: author, last modified by, title, subject, comments (summary), tags, category, status, company, manager, and hyperlink base. In Word (.docx) files it can also delete comments, accept all tracked changes and drop the revision history, delete the reviewer list, and remove editing session IDs (rsid). In Excel (.xlsx) files it finds hidden and very hidden sheets and lets you leave each one as is, unhide it, or delete it.
Q.Is my file uploaded to a server?
A. No. The tool opens the .docx or .xlsx file (a ZIP package of XML files) with JavaScript in your browser, edits it there, and hands the cleaned copy back as a download. The file is never sent to our servers.
Q.What happens to my tracked changes?
A. They are accepted, not rejected. Inserted text stays in the document as normal text, deleted text is removed, and formatting-change records are dropped (the new formatting is kept). Deleted table rows are removed. This works on the main document body only: tracked changes inside headers, footers, and footnotes are not touched, and a deleted paragraph break is not merged with the next paragraph. Open the cleaned file and check it before you send it.
Q.Can I reject tracked changes instead of accepting them?
A. No. This tool only accepts them. If you need to reject some changes, do that in Word first (Review > Reject), then run the cleaned-up file through this tool.
Q.Will hidden sheets be deleted automatically?
A. No. Every hidden sheet starts on "Leave as is", so nothing changes unless you choose it. You can unhide a sheet or delete it. Deleting a sheet also removes its drawings, charts, tables, and comment parts, and formulas on other sheets that point to it may break. If you are not sure what the sheet is used for, unhide it, read it, and decide after that.
Q.What is the difference between a hidden sheet and a very hidden sheet?
A. A hidden sheet can be shown again from the Unhide dialog (right-click a sheet tab, then Unhide). A very hidden sheet does not appear in that dialog, and Excel's normal menus cannot show it again. The tool lists both kinds so you can see them.
Q.Does it remove comments and notes from Excel cells?
A. No. For Excel files the tool clears document properties and handles hidden sheets only. Cell notes and threaded comments are not removed, so check for them in Excel before you send the workbook.
Q.Does it change the created and modified dates?
A. No. The created and modified dates, the application name, and any custom properties are left as they are. Only the fields listed in the tool are cleared.
Q.Is this the same as Word's Document Inspector?
A. It covers part of the same ground. The desktop versions of Word and Excel for Windows include a Document Inspector that looks for personal information and hidden content. This tool is useful when you want to check and clean a file without opening it in Office, or when Office is not installed on the computer you are using.
Q.Which file types are supported?
A. Word .docx and Excel .xlsx files. The older .doc and .xls formats, macro-enabled files (.docm, .xlsm), and PowerPoint files are not supported.
Q.Will the cleaned file look exactly like the original?
A. In most cases, yes. The tool edits the XML inside the file directly, so very complex files (embedded objects, heavy co-authoring history, unusual add-ins) can occasionally change in small ways. Keep the original, and open the cleaned copy to check it before you send it.
Q.Is it free?
A. Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit on how many files you clean.
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