Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Removing Personal Information.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 30, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021
As you create a workbook in Excel, there is a lot of information that is stored with the workbook that can identify you as the author. Most of this information is stored in the workbook's file properties. Excel provides a handy tool that allows you to remove the personal information you don't want others to see. This tool is called the Document Inspector.
To use the Document Inspector, open the workbook you want to evaluate and then use one of the following, depending on the version of Excel you are using:
Excel displays the Document Inspector dialog box, which is just a series of check boxes. You use these check boxes to indicate the items you want the inspector to look for. When you click Inspect, Excel tries to find them and then displays a dialog box showing the findings. (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1. The Document Inspector's findings.
When presented with the Document Inspector's findings, you can choose which items you want removed from the workbook.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6216) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Removing Personal Information.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
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