When sending a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file outside your organization, it is easy to review only the visible document or slide content and then share the file as-is.
Office files can also contain author names, last-modified information, company or manager fields, comments, custom properties, and other metadata that is not obvious on screen. Depending on the format, you may also want to review tracked changes, hidden text, hidden sheets, or speaker notes.
Browser Kitty's Office Privacy Inspector loads DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files in the browser so you can inspect this metadata and hidden information before sharing. Supported cleanup items can be removed from a separate copy without overwriting the original, and the cleaned file can be reinspected immediately.
What to check before sharing an Office file
Office files can store many kinds of information beyond the visible document content. A Word document may look fine on screen while still containing author names, last-modified data, comments, or other metadata internally.
In Excel, hidden sheets, Very Hidden sheets, hidden rows or columns, external references, defined names, and connections may also deserve review. In PowerPoint, comments, speaker notes, hidden slides, and objects placed outside the slide can remain in the file.
These findings are not automatically personal or confidential information. Even so, reviewing them before sending a file outside your organization helps reduce accidental disclosure.
- Author, last-modified, company, and manager fields
- Comments and custom properties
- Hidden sheets, hidden slides, and speaker notes
- External references and embedded objects
What to check in Word
For DOCX files, Office Privacy Inspector can check comments, tracked changes, hidden text, RSID data, external references, embedded objects, Custom XML, and common metadata.
Comments and tracked changes can remain even in a document that is intended to be final. However, being detectable does not mean every item can be removed automatically.
In v1.0.0, DOCX comments and RSID data can be selected for cleanup. Tracked changes, hidden text, external references, embedded objects, and Custom XML are inspection-only and should be reviewed in Word when necessary.
- Comments
- Tracked changes
- Hidden text
- RSID data
- External references
- Embedded objects
- Custom XML
What to check in Excel
For XLSX files, the inspector can check hidden and Very Hidden sheets, hidden rows or columns, external references, defined names, connections, Pivot Cache, Slicer Cache, embedded objects, and common metadata.
Reviewing only visible sheets can miss hidden sheets or hidden rows and columns. These can be detected, but v1.0.0 does not remove them automatically.
Excel comments and threaded comments are also outside the detailed analysis and cleanup scope in v1.0.0. Review the findings first and make any necessary changes in Excel itself.
- Hidden sheets
- Very Hidden sheets
- Hidden rows and columns
- External references
- Defined Names
- Connections
- Pivot Cache
- Slicer Cache
- Embedded objects
What to check in PowerPoint
Speaker notes deserve special attention before sharing a PowerPoint file. They may not appear during a slide show, but they can remain inside the PPTX file.
Office Privacy Inspector can check comments, speaker notes, hidden slides, off-slide objects, external references, embedded objects, Custom XML, and common metadata.
PowerPoint comments and speaker notes can be selected for cleanup. Hidden slides and off-slide objects are inspection-only, so review them and make changes in PowerPoint when needed.
- Comments
- Speaker notes
- Hidden slides
- Off-slide objects
- External references
- Embedded objects
- Custom XML
Remove author information and supported metadata
After reviewing the inspection results, choose the items you want to clean. In v1.0.0, supported cleanup includes common metadata, selected Custom Properties, DOCX RSID data, DOCX comments, PPTX comments, and PPTX speaker notes.
Run “Create cleaned copy” after selecting the items. The original file is not overwritten; a separate cleaned file is generated instead.
- Common metadata
- Selected Custom Properties
- DOCX RSID data
- DOCX comments
- PPTX comments
- PPTX speaker notes
Reinspect the file after cleanup
After cleanup, check what still remains in the generated file. Office Privacy Inspector automatically reinspects the cleaned copy.
You can compare the Before and After counts and review findings that were not cleanup targets. Do not assume that running cleanup means everything has been removed; review the actual results before sharing.
- Inspect the original file
- Select cleanup targets
- Create a cleaned copy
- Automatically reinspect the generated file
- Review the Before / After results
Some findings can be detected but not removed automatically
Office Privacy Inspector is not designed to remove every kind of information from an Office file in one pass. In v1.0.0, tracked changes, hidden text, hidden sheets or rows and columns, external references, embedded objects, and Custom XML can be detected but are not removed automatically.
Removing these items can affect document content or file behavior. The tool therefore reports them for review instead of deleting them automatically.
Macro-enabled Office files are inspection-only
DOCM, XLSM, and PPTM files can be inspected, but cleanup is disabled because they may contain macros.
The tool also switches to inspection-only mode when it detects structures such as digital signatures or ActiveX content where rewriting could have unwanted effects.
- .docm
- .xlsm
- .pptm
Legacy DOC, XLS, and PPT files are not supported
Full support is for the Office Open XML formats DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX. Legacy DOC, XLS, and PPT files are not supported.
Save legacy files in a newer Office format before inspection. Encrypted or password-protected Office Open XML files are also unsupported.
- .doc
- .xls
- .ppt
A clean result does not guarantee that the file contains no confidential information
Office Privacy Inspector checks specific metadata and package structures. A clean inspection result does not guarantee that the file itself contains no confidential information.
Personal data in the document body, confidential cell values, information visible in images, text inside shapes, chart data, hard-to-see white text, and text inside images all require separate review.
Before sharing an Office file externally, review the actual document, workbook, or presentation in addition to the inspection results.
Office files are not uploaded to Browser Kitty
Office Privacy Inspector performs file loading, inspection, cleanup, and reinspection in the browser.
The selected DOCX, XLSX, or PPTX is not sent to a Browser Kitty server for analysis. The hosted page still requires normal network traffic to load the app, but the selected Office file itself is not uploaded for processing.
This can be useful when you want to avoid sending internal or confidential files to an external processing service.
How to inspect author information in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Open Browser Kitty's Office Privacy Inspector. The fully supported formats are DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX.
After loading a file, the tool shows a summary of information to review before sharing. For fields such as author and last modified by, it shows the actual values found rather than only a count.
- Select the Office file you want to inspect or drag and drop it onto the page.
- Review author, last modified by, company, manager, last printed, total editing time, Custom Properties, and other summary fields.
- Review the format-specific findings for Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
- If supported cleanup targets should be removed, select them and create a cleaned copy.
- Review the automatic reinspection results, including the Before / After counts and any remaining findings.
Office Privacy Inspector
Inspect metadata, comments, hidden information, external references, and other privacy-related findings in Office files before sharing, then clean supported items and reinspect.
Tips and limitations
- Not every detectable item can be removed automatically; inspection-only findings should be reviewed in Office itself.
- Always review the reinspection result after cleanup and check what remains.
- Confidential information visible in document content or images requires separate review.
- The original file is not overwritten, so you can keep the pre-cleanup version.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove the author name from a Word file?
Yes. Supported common metadata can be cleaned. The inspection also covers fields such as last modified by, company, and manager. Cleanup creates a separate copy and automatically reinspects it.
Can it remove hidden Excel sheets?
Hidden and Very Hidden sheets can be detected, but v1.0.0 does not remove them automatically. Review them and use Excel itself to delete or unhide them when needed.
Can it remove PowerPoint speaker notes?
Yes. PPTX speaker notes can be inspected and selected for cleanup. The generated file is reinspected so you can confirm the result.
Can it remove comments too?
DOCX and PPTX comments are cleanup targets. Excel comments and threaded comments are outside the detailed analysis and cleanup scope in v1.0.0.
Can I use macro-enabled Office files?
DOCM, XLSM, and PPTM can be inspected but are not cleaned. Files containing macros, digital signatures, or other structures that should not be rewritten also remain inspection-only.
Does cleanup overwrite the original Office file?
No. Cleanup creates a separate copy, leaving the original file unchanged.
Are Office files sent to a server?
Office Privacy Inspector performs inspection and supported cleanup in the browser. The selected file is not uploaded to a Browser Kitty server for processing.