Guides
How to Remove Author and Personal Information from Excel Files
Updated 2026-10-18
A workbook you send out shows more than its cells. Right-click the file → Properties → Details, or open File → Info in Excel, and you see the author, who saved it last and the company. Look closer and there may be internal discussion in comments, hidden sheets and links pointing at internal servers.
What a workbook may carry
- Document properties: author, last saved by, company, manager, title, subject, tags, comments;
- Local save path: the folder the file was last saved in, such as
C:\Users\jsmith\Desktop\Quotes\, often with your user name in it;
- Comments and notes from internal review;
- Hidden rows, columns and sheets that may hold costs or floor prices;
- External links revealing internal file names and paths;
- The formulas themselves: your logic and data sources.
Method 1: Inspect Document
- Save a copy first; what the inspector removes can't be restored.
- File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document.
- Tick what to inspect and click Inspect.
- Click Remove All next to Document Properties and Personal Information, Comments, Hidden Rows and Columns, Hidden Worksheets and so on.
Keep in mind:
- removing hidden rows, columns or worksheets deletes their data, which changes any formula that uses it;
- the inspector handles one file at a time;
- it doesn't turn formulas into values or break external links.
Stop personal info from coming back
After the inspector has removed personal information once, File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings → Privacy Options → Remove personal information from file properties on save becomes available. Tick it and that file won't record the author again when saved. The setting applies to that file only.
You can also change User name under File → Options → General to something neutral; new files use it as the author.
Method 2: clean many files at once
In xlszip's Clean for sharing, tick Remove author, company, local path and other document info:
- removes author, last modified by, last printed, company, manager, comments, keywords and category, plus custom document properties;
- removes the recorded local save path and printer settings;
- tick Remove comments, Break external links and Turn all formulas into values in the same pass;
- every option is verified cell by cell: displayed values must match the original before you get the file;
- pick several files at once; a single file up to 10 MB is processed in your browser by default and never uploaded.
Hidden sheets are not deleted. Not sure what's in the file? Run a check-up first: author, company, hidden sheets, comments and external links are all listed.
Last check before sending