How to remove hidden metadata from documents and photos
Step-by-step guidance for removing author names, locations and edit history from PDFs, Office files and photos before sharing them.
Published 18 October 2026, Safety guide
Files carry information you cannot see on the page. A Word document can record its author's name and organisation. A PDF can store the software and account that created it. A phone photo usually records the exact time and GPS location where it was taken. This hidden information, called metadata, can identify a source even when the content says nothing about them.
Office documents (Word, Excel)
- Windows: open the file, go to File, then Info, then Check for Issues, then Inspect Document. Inspect, then remove Document Properties and Personal Information. Also remove comments and tracked changes.
- Mac: in Word, go to Review, then Protect, and turn on "Remove personal information from this file on save", then save.
- Check headers, footers, hidden rows and sheets in spreadsheets as well.
PDFs
- In a full PDF editor, look for an option such as "Remove hidden information" or "Sanitize document".
- Without one, a reliable method is to print the document to a new PDF. This drops most original metadata, though it cannot remove marks visible on the page.
- Check that black boxes over text are real redactions. Drawing a box on top often leaves the text underneath selectable.
Photos and screenshots
- Turn off location tagging in your camera settings before taking photos.
- For existing photos, take a screenshot of the photo and share the screenshot, or use your phone's option to remove location when sharing.
- Crop out anything that shows your desk, screen edges, reflections or other identifying details.
Quick checklist
Do
- Check file properties after cleaning, to confirm the author and location fields are empty.
- Rename files to something neutral before sharing.
- Work on copies, and keep the original safe.
Don't
- Don't share the original file straight from a work system or email account.
- Don't rely on drawn boxes to redact text.
- Don't forget photos: location data is the most common leak.
Printed documents and some on-screen displays can include tracking marks that cannot be removed digitally. If a document came from a printer or system that only a few people use, consider whether describing it, rather than sharing it, is safer. Read the source safety dos and don'ts for more.