Remove Excel Metadata
Excel workbooks store the author, last-modified-by name, company, often a manager or category field, and when the file was created and last saved — and, less visibly, the folder the file was saved in (usually C:\Users\ and your user name), the name on every comment and note, and the printer it last went to. Financial models and price lists get shared widely, and all of that goes with them. This tool clears it without touching a single cell. It is free, needs no account, and adds no watermark to your result.
Remove Excel 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 people use it for.
What happens to your file.
Only the parts of the package that hold names and paths are rewritten: the document properties, with the created and modified dates removed; the saved-folder path and the write-reservation name in the workbook part; the author of every comment and note, and the name Excel types at the start of a note, replaced with "Author"; threaded-comment people and their account IDs; who last refreshed each pivot table; the printer name in the page setup; and custom properties such as a sensitivity label’s owner. The workbook is never opened and saved again, which is why sheets, formulas, named ranges, charts, pivot tables, macros and formatting survive exactly as they were.
Where it stops: Content inside cells, including a name typed into a header row, is data rather than metadata and is kept. Hidden sheets and rows are also kept; check for those separately.
What is cleared, and what stays
| In the workbook | After cleaning |
|---|---|
| Author, Last modified by, Title, Subject, Keywords, Description and Category | Emptied |
| Created and modified dates | Removed |
| Revision number | Emptied |
| Company, Manager and hyperlink base | Emptied |
| The folder the workbook was saved in (C:\Users\…) | Removed |
| Names on comments and notes, and the "Name:" at the start of a note | Replaced with "Author"; the comment text stays |
| Threaded-comment people and their account IDs | Replaced with "Author" |
| Pivot table "refreshed by" and change-history user names | Replaced with "Author" |
| Printer name in the page setup | Removed; the page setup itself is kept |
| Custom document properties | Removed |
| Sheets, formulas, named ranges, charts, pivot tables, macros and images | Unchanged, byte for byte |
| Hidden sheets, rows and columns | Kept |
Before you send a workbook
- Unhide every sheet, row and column and check what is in them.
- Read through the comment text itself: the names are removed, but what people wrote is content and stays.
- Open the cleaned file in Excel Metadata Viewer to confirm the fields are empty.
Everything you need, without a paywall.
Common questions.
How do I remove metadata from an Excel file?
Add the .xlsx and download the cleaned copy. The author and company, the folder it was saved in, comment and note authors, the printer name and custom properties are removed, and every cell, formula and chart stays as it was.
Are my formulas safe?
Yes. Only the metadata parts of the package change. Formulas, references, named ranges and chart definitions are untouched.
Does this hide the data itself?
No, and it is not meant to. It removes the hidden fields that identify who made the file. To remove visible values you must edit the cells.
What about hidden sheets or filtered rows?
Those are workbook content, not metadata, so they remain. Unhide and check everything before sharing a sensitive workbook.
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