Word Metadata Cleaner
See exactly what your Word document reveals about you, choose what to remove, and download a cleaned copy. The check and the cleaning both run in your browser, and the result is re-checked before you download it.
Remove Word Metadata
Add your files. Recommended settings are ready, so you can process in one click.
PDF, Word, images, audio, video, archives and more
Up to 100 files · 250 MB · No account- 1Add files
- 2Choose an action
- 3Download or keep going
What happens to your file.
A .docx is a ZIP of XML parts. The package is opened in your browser and each part that can carry identifying data is read: docProps/core.xml for author and dates, docProps/app.xml for company and editing time, docProps/custom.xml for custom fields, word/comments.xml and word/people.xml for reviewer names and account addresses, word/document.xml for tracked-change authors, word/settings.xml for editing session IDs and the mail merge source, and the relationship parts for the attached template path. Selected values are emptied or their parts removed, references to removed parts are cleaned up so Word does not report a damaged file, and photos are rewritten without their EXIF blocks. Everything not selected is copied across byte for byte.
Where it stops: Macros are carried over unchanged; save as .docx in Word if you need them gone. The visible document is never altered, so a name typed into the text, a signature block or a header stays exactly where it is — this tool removes stored properties, not content you can see. Legacy .doc files store properties differently and are not supported; save them as .docx first.
What a Word document can reveal
| Where it lives | What it can give away |
|---|---|
| Author and Last saved by | The names of everyone who worked on the file |
| Company and Manager | Your employer, stamped from the installed copy of Office |
| Total editing time | How many minutes the document was open |
| Comment and tracked-change authors | Every reviewer, with initials and timestamps |
| Attached template | A full path such as C:\Users\yourname\AppData\Roaming\… |
| Editing session IDs (rsids) | Identifiers that can link this file to other files you edited |
| Preview image | A picture of page one, even after you change the text |
| Custom XML | SharePoint properties, sometimes including e-mail addresses |
| Photos in the document | Camera model and the GPS position where the photo was taken |
Which preset should you choose?
- Before sharing: removes names, company, dates and hidden data, and replaces reviewer names with a neutral one so the change history still reads sensibly.
- Fully anonymous: everything above, and deletes comments outright rather than anonymising them.
- Names only: for when the dates and revision history matter to you but the names do not.
- Custom: switch each item on or off, including which replacement name to use.
How the removal is verified
After the cleaned file is built, it is opened again from the bytes you are about to download and inspected a second time with the same checks. The report under the download button describes that second pass, so it tells you what is actually in the delivered file rather than what the tool intended to do.
What people use it for.
Everything you need, without a paywall.
Common questions.
How do I remove the author name from a Word document?
Add the .docx file, and the author appears in the list of what the document reveals. Keep "Author, title, subject, keywords and comments" selected and use "Remove metadata and download". The cleaned file is re-checked to confirm the name is gone.
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
No. The document is opened, inspected and rewritten entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, which is also why the values shown are visible only to you.
Why does my old company name keep coming back?
Office stamps the company from the installed copy into docProps/app.xml of every new document, and it survives copying and editing. Most tools only clear core properties and miss it; this one clears it, and you can see the value before and after.
Does it remove reviewer names from comments and tracked changes?
Yes. You can either anonymise them, replacing each name with a neutral one so the history still makes sense, or delete the comments entirely. Tracked-change timestamps are removed along with the names.
Will the document still open in Word?
Yes. Parts that are removed also have their declarations removed from the content types and relationship parts, which is what prevents the "Word found unreadable content" message. Everything not selected is copied across unchanged.
Does this remove names written in the document text?
No, and it should not. Stored properties are removed; text you can see on the page, including signature blocks and headers, is left exactly as it is. Edit those in Word.
What about photos I pasted in?
Photos keep their EXIF block, which can hold the camera model and the GPS position. Those are removed without re-encoding the picture, so image quality is unchanged. A portrait photo keeps its orientation flag so it does not appear on its side.
Can I clean several documents at once?
Yes. Add up to 50 documents and the download becomes a ZIP with one cleaned file per document. The same choices apply to all of them.
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