How to remove metadata from a Word document (without losing formatting)

In this post, we'll explain how to remove metadata from a Word document without losing the formatting. While there are various tools for cleaning metadata, some end up altering the document's layout. Fortunately, Microsoft's text editor includes a native tool to anonymize a text without affecting its original design. Let's see.

What is metadata in Word?

Delete the Metadata from a Word document is a common practice in environments where files are shared publicly. It is necessary to do so because, During the editing of a document, marks or traces of the revisions and changes made remain.And if it's not deleted, all that additional information can be viewed by third parties, revealing sensitive and even compromising data.

In a Word document, metadata typically includes the Author's name of the document, which is usually the same as the username or Microsoft account. Other embedded data includes the creation date and last modification, the revision history, inserted comments, hidden text, information on the software and operating system used and data from previous versions.

Of course, Removing metadata from a Word document is not always necessaryThis data serves valuable functions in collaborative, administrative, or technical environments. It allows, for example, coordinating tasks among multiple authors, performing more precise searches in file systems, restoring previous versions, or verifying the authorship of a text. So, when is it appropriate to delete this data? Whenever its knowledge poses a risk or unnecessary exposure to others.

• Most clients, institutions, or public platforms rarely need to access a file's internal data.
• Some organizations require you to remove metadata from a Word document such as part of their security policies.
• Comments, reviews, or hidden text may reveal disagreements, errors, or internal decisions that should not be public.
• In sensitive environments, such as journalism, legal advice, or medicine, revealing the name of the author or contributors can compromise privacy.

How to remove metadata from a Word document

Ultimately, removing metadata from a Word document prevents unintentional information leaks and contributes to a more professional presentation of the file. Given its importance in various fields, it's helpful to know how to carry out this process. without the file in question losing its formatIn other words, how do you remove metadata from a document while preserving its original layout?

The procedure is quite simple, and involves using a tool built into the Microsoft Word editor. This tool is called Document Inspector, allowing you to easily review and clean up metadataOf course, there are very effective third-party applications to remove metadata from a Word document, such as doc scrubber or Metadata Cleaner. These are perfect for achieving advanced results, but in most cases, the Document Inspector is sufficient.

Use the Document Inspector to clean up metadata in Word

The advantage of using the Document Inspector to clean up metadata in Word is that You don't have to download or install anything elseThe tool is built into the latest versions of the editor. Let's see how to use it to quickly and easily remove metadata from a Word document.

1. Open the finished document in Word.
2. Now click on the tab Archive.
3. In the left side menu, click Information.
4. Under the Information option, click on the box Check for problems.
5. Then select the option Inspect document.
6. A small window with checkboxes will open in the center of the screen. Make sure all the boxes are selected and click the button. Inspect.
7. After a brief review process, you'll see the Document Properties and Personal Information section appear with an attention symbol (!). It will tell you that metadata such as Document Properties and Author were found. You'll also see the button Remove all on the right. Click on it.
8. Finally, click on Close and ready.

This action removes metadata from a Word document, such as Author name, document properties, related dates, and intelligence data from AI-assisted functionsAs you can see, it's a simple but effective process for leaving a text file clean and ready to share. If this is your case, the best thing you can do is convert it to PDF before sending it, to prevent unwanted modifications.

Save as Clean PDF to remove metadata from a Word document

Let's suppose you already have the document ready and decide to convert it to PDF to then share it. As you probably know, Microsoft Word allows you to change the file format from .docx to PDF from the save options. What you may not know is that, during the process, You can remove all metadata from the file and save it as a clean PDF.How do you remove metadata from a Word document using this method? Follow these steps:

1. Open the document in Word.
2. Click on the tab Archive.
3. Select option Save as.
4. Now choose where you will save the document.
5. Next, expand the file type tab and select PDF in the listing.
6. Before Saving, click on Options.
7. In the next window, under the Include non-printable information section, uncheck the Document Properties box.
8. Click on Accept and then in Save. Done.

This is another simple and effective way to remove metadata from a Word document. The generated PDF file will not include metadata from the original document, and will keep the visual format intact. Plus, it will look the same no matter what operating system or tool you use to open it.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, removing metadata from a Word document is a good practice that we would be wise to adopt. In addition to Protect privacy, prevent information leaks, and project a more professional image..

The best part is that there are safe and easy ways to do this: you can use Word's Document Inspector or convert the file to a clean PDF. Both methods do not alter the format or visual design of the document., and ensure that only the information you want to share is shared.