This article guides you on removing personal information and hidden data from Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Overview

Every document created in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint contains hidden data and personal information.

It's a good practice to remove them when you share files with colleagues, or you submit your file for an exam.

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Types of hidden data and personal information

Word documents can contain the following types of hidden data and personal information:

Word

• Comments, revision marks from tracked changes, versions, and ink annotations
• Document properties and personal information     
• Headers, footers, and watermarks     
• Hidden text     
• Document server properties    
• Custom XML data     

Excel

• Comments and ink annotations
• Document properties and personal information     
• Headers and footers  
• Hidden rows, columns, and worksheets  
• Document server properties
• Custom XML data
• Invisible content
• External links    
• Embedded files or objects    
• Macros of VBA code
• Items that may have cached data
• Excel Surveys
• Scenario Manager 
• Filters  
• Hidden names  

PowerPoint

• Comments and ink annotations    
• Revision tracking data   
• Document properties and personal information
• Invisible on-slide content
• Off-slide content 
• Presentation notes 
• Document server properties 
• Custom XML data

If you want to know more about the point above, please read the Microsoft Support article "Remove hidden data and personal information by inspecting documents, presentations, or workbooks". 

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Removing hidden data and personal information

Instructions for Windows users

You can remove hidden data and personal information from the desktop application of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in the same way.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Save a copy of the original document you want to inspect by selecting:

1. The File tab
2. Save As
3. Select the folder where you want to store the file
4. Type a name in the file box
5. Select the button "Save a Copy"

2. Open the file you want to remove your personal information from

3. Select the File tab

4. Select Info

5. Select Check for Issues

6. From the drop-down menu, select Inspect Document

7. In the Document Inspector dialogue box, select the checkboxes to choose the types of hidden content that you want to be inspected

8. Select Inspect

9. Review the results of the inspection in the Document Inspector dialogue box

10. Select the button Remove All next to every result you want to remove

11. Select the button Close

12. Save the changes

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Instructions for Apple macOS users

Removing your personal information from Word documents

1. Save a copy of the original document you want to inspect by selecting:

1. The File tab
2. Save As
3. Select the folder where you want to store the file
4. Type a name in the file box
5. Select the button "Save a Copy..."

2. Open the file you want to remove your personal information from

3. From the toolbar, select the Review tab

4. Select Protect

5. Select Protect Document

6. Go to the Privacy section and tick the box close to "Remove personal information from this file on save"

7. Select OK

8. Save the changes

 

Removing your personal information from PowerPoint documents

1. Save a copy of the original document you want to inspect by selecting:

1. The File tab
2. Save As
3. Select the folder where you want to store the file
4. Type a name in the file box
5. Select the button "Save  As.."

2. Open a new file

3. Remove your name and initials as follows:

1. Open PowerPoint
2. Select the Microsoft PowerPoint tab 
   
3. Select Preferences... from the drop-down menu
4. Select User Information
5. Remove your name and initials
6. Tick the box close to "Always use this setting"
7. Quit PowerPoint

4. Open PowerPoint again

5. Open the file you want to modify

6. Edit your file

7. Save your file

The fields "Author" and "Last saved by" within the properties will populate their fields with the generic name "Microsoft Office User". 

You can double-check this information as follows:

1. Open your file
2. From the menu bar select the File tab
3. Select Properties... from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Summary tab to see the author
5. Select the Statistics tab to see the "Last saved by"

Please remember to follow  steps 1 and 2 another time if you want your name to appear again as an author.

 

Removing your personal information from Excel documents

1. Save a copy of the original document you want to inspect by selecting:

1. The File tab
2. Save As
3. Select the folder where you want to store the file
4. Type a name in the file box
5. Select the button "Save  As.."

2. Open the file you want to remove your personal information from

3. Select the Microsoft Excel tab from the menu bar

4. Select Preferences...

5. Select Security

6. Go to the section "Document-specific Settings" and tick the box close to "Remove personal information from this file when saving" 

7. Edit your file

8. Save your file

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Related content

Remove hidden data and personal information by inspecting documents, presentations, or workbooks - Microsoft Support (external source)

Help protect your privacy - Microsoft Support (external source)

Microsoft 365 Support Centre