How-to
How to remove personal information from a Word document
The short answer
Documents can store the author name, the last editor, dates, comments and tracked changes. Before you send a file, delete comments, accept or reject tracked changes, and check the properties. In Wrdio's editor you can turn on the option to remove your name and dates when saving.
You send a document to a client. They open it, look at the properties and see the name of your old employer in the author field. Or a tracked change from three drafts ago, with a comment you meant to delete. It happens more than anyone admits. A few minutes of checking prevents it.
What a document remembers about you
- Author and last editor. Often taken from the computer's user name.
- Company and manager names. Copied from a template.
- Dates. When it was created, last saved and printed.
- Comments. Yours and other people's, with their names.
- Tracked changes. The deleted text is still in the file until the change is accepted or rejected.
- Hidden text and old versions. Text formatted to be invisible, or content left over from earlier drafts.
A checklist before you share
- Resolve the review. Accept or reject every tracked change, then delete or resolve every comment. See tracked changes and comments.
- Search for hidden text. Turn on formatting marks and look for text that is hidden or in white.
- Check the properties. Open the file's details and look at the author, company and dates.
- Clear what you can. Use your program's feature that removes personal information.
- Save a copy. Work on the copy so the original stays as it is.
- Send a PDF if the content is final. See saving as PDF. Check the PDF properties as well.
In Wrdio
On a computer, Wrdio's editor has a setting under File, Options, Save to remove your name from comments, changes and file properties when saving, and another for dates. Turn them on, save a copy, and check it with the method below. Because the editor runs in your browser, the file is not uploaded while you do this.
How to check the result
- Rename a copy so the ending is .zip and open it. In docProps, the file core.xml holds the author and dates, and you can read them in a text editor.
- Open the file in a different program and look at its details.
- Search the text for names you would not want shown.
Remember. Removing metadata hides who made a document, but it does not make the content anonymous. Names, places and details inside the text still identify people. Read it once as a stranger would.
Questions people ask
What personal information does a Word document contain?
It can include the author and last-editor names, the company, creation and edit dates, comments, tracked changes and sometimes hidden text.
How do I remove metadata from a DOCX?
Use the document inspector in desktop Word, or the option in Wrdio's editor to remove your name and dates when saving. Then check the file.
Does exporting to PDF remove metadata?
Not always. PDFs have their own properties, and some programs copy the author name across. Check the PDF properties too.
Do tracked changes stay in the file?
Yes, until you accept or reject them. Anyone who opens the file can see them.