Remove Metadata from Excel in 1 Click — Free, No Upload, Data Safe
Erase author, timestamps, and document properties from .xlsx/.xlsm — cell data, formulas, and formatting stay intact. Free, no sign-up, and files stay on your device.
Drop .xlsx or .xlsm files here, or click to browse
Supports .xlsx and .xlsm · processed locally · never uploaded
How to Remove Metadata from an Excel File
- Drop one or more .xlsx or .xlsm workbooks — everything is processed locally and never uploaded.
- Click Remove metadata — author, last-modified-by, timestamps, and organization entries are cleaned in one pass.
- Check the report — every file lists exactly which properties were cleared by name.
- Download the result — a single file downloads directly; multiple cleaned files come back as a ZIP.
How It Works
An .xlsx or .xlsm workbook is really a ZIP archive of XML parts. This tool opens that archive directly in your browser and rewrites only the two document-property parts — docProps/core.xml (emptying dc:creator and cp:lastModifiedBy, and resetting dcterms:created and dcterms:modified to 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z while keeping their xsi:type attribute and namespace declarations) and docProps/app.xml (removing the Company and Manager elements outright) — then rezips everything into a fresh workbook. Worksheets, formulas, styles, macros, relationships and [Content_Types].xml pass through untouched. The whole round-trip runs as local JavaScript; no byte ever reaches a server.
Your file never leaves your device — processing is 100% in-browser.
Compared to Excel’s Document Inspector
Excel’s built-in Document Inspector (File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document) can also surface and strip hidden content and document properties, but it walks you through several manual steps and warns upfront that removals are irreversible. This tool does the cleanup in one click.
| Approach | Where your file goes | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| This tool | Nowhere — processed in your browser | Free, no sign-up, no size cap, batch-friendly |
| Excel Document Inspector | Stays on your disk | Manual multi-step, warns removal is irreversible, no batch |
Exactly Which Properties Are Cleaned
| Property | Lives in | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Author (dc:creator) | docProps/core.xml | Emptied |
| Last modified by (cp:lastModifiedBy) | docProps/core.xml | Emptied |
| Created / modified timestamps | docProps/core.xml | Reset to 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z |
| Company / Manager | docProps/app.xml | Entries removed |
| Title, subject, keywords | docProps/core.xml | Kept — review them before sharing |
Timestamp elements keep their original xsi:type attribute and namespace declarations — only the content changes, so the file remains a perfectly valid OpenXML package. Relationships and [Content_Types].xml are not touched.
Why Document Metadata Matters
Excel silently records the full name of every account that saves a workbook, plus the exact creation and modification times. In contracts, tenders, reports, and résumés that file travels far beyond its author — and anyone can read the hidden properties with two clicks in Excel’s own info panel.
This tool rewrites those properties before the file leaves your hands. The cleaned workbook keeps every value, formula, and style; only the identity trail is gone. Because everything happens in your browser, even the metadata itself is never uploaded anywhere.
Resetting timestamps to 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z removes the entire edit history signal — “no information” instead of fake information.
What Stays Untouched
- Cell values, formulas, formatting, comments, and charts are byte-for-byte the same parts, simply repackaged.
- Macros in .xlsm files are preserved — the cleaned copy remains a working macro workbook.
- Only docProps/core.xml and docProps/app.xml are rewritten; custom properties, relationships, and content types are left alone.
- Legacy .xls and file-open encrypted workbooks are not ZIP-based and are rejected — convert them first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this metadata remover really free?
Yes — 100% free, no sign-up, no file limit, and no watermark. All processing happens locally in your browser.
Which metadata exactly is removed?
Author (dc:creator) and last-modified-by (cp:lastModifiedBy) are emptied, created/modified timestamps are reset to 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z, and Company/Manager entries are deleted from app.xml.
Does it touch my cell data?
No. Only the two document-properties XML parts are rewritten; worksheets, formulas, and formatting pass through untouched.
Will my file be uploaded to a server?
Never. The archive is unpacked, edited, and repacked entirely in your browser with JavaScript.
Does it work with .xls files?
No. The legacy .xls binary format is not a ZIP package. Convert it to .xlsx first, then clean the metadata.
Are macros in .xlsm files preserved?
Yes. The cleaned copy stays a valid .xlsm with your VBA project intact.
Why are dates reset to 1970?
The Unix epoch means “no information”. Writing a fake recent date would still leak a timeline; the epoch leaks nothing.
How can I verify the cleanup worked?
Download the file and open File → Info in Excel, or unzip it and inspect docProps/core.xml — the author fields will be empty and timestamps at the epoch.
Related Tools
Want to review or edit the data after cleaning the metadata?
Open the free online Excel editor