Strip Metadata from Word Documents
Remove author names, tracked changes, comments, company info, and hidden properties from DOCX files — privately, in your browser.
#Strip Metadata from Word Documents
Remove author names, tracked changes, comments, company info, and hidden properties from DOCX files — privately, in your browser.
##Deleted text isn't really deleted
Tracked changes in Word documents preserve every edit — including text that was deleted. If you 'Accept All Changes' before sharing, the visible text is clean, but the revision history may still be embedded in the XML. A simple unzip reveals everything.
⚠ Opposing counsel, competitors, or clients can see your negotiation notes, draft revisions, and deleted content.
##Internal commentary exposed
Comments from colleagues survive in the DOCX XML even after they appear deleted in Word. Names of commenters, timestamps, and the full comment text remain accessible by unzipping the file.
⚠ Internal strategy discussions, legal concerns, and editorial decisions can be extracted from shared documents.
##Everyone who touched the document
Word documents maintain a list of every person who edited or commented on the file. This includes full names, email addresses in some cases, and the exact timestamps of each person's contributions.
⚠ The people.xml file creates a complete audit trail of who was involved in creating a document.
##Template metadata leaks
Documents created from templates inherit the template's metadata — including the original author and company who created the template. Law firms and consultancies frequently discover they're sending documents with another firm's metadata baked in.
⚠ A template from a previous employer or competitor embeds their identity into every document you create from it.
##What's hidden in your files
| Category | Field | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| Author & Identity | Creator | Michael Torres |
| Last Modified By | Jennifer Walsh | |
| Manager | David Kim | |
| Company | Sterling & Associates LLP | |
| Comments & Tracked Changes | Comments | 4 comments by 2 authors |
| Tracked Changes | 12 revisions tracked | |
| Revision Number | 47 | |
| people.xml | 3 people identified | |
| Dates & Editing Time | Created | 2024-11-22T10:08:00Z |
| Modified | 2025-03-01T14:33:00Z | |
| Total Editing Time | 842 minutes | |
| Application & Template | Application | Microsoft Office Word |
| Version | 16.0 | |
| Template | Legal_Brief_v3.dotx |
##Supported formats
##Why strip metadata from Word documents before sharing?
Microsoft Word documents (DOCX) store extensive hidden metadata in XML files inside the document package. This includes author names, company information, editing time, revision history, comments, tracked changes, and details about every person who contributed to the document.
For legal professionals, this is a well-known hazard. Court rules in many jurisdictions require metadata scrubbing before filing or exchange. The American Bar Association has issued ethics opinions emphasizing lawyers' duty to remove metadata from documents shared with opposing parties.
Beyond legal contexts, any business sharing Word documents externally risks exposing internal author names, company structure, editing timelines, and deleted content that may still exist in the revision history. Templates inherited from previous employers or partners can embed their metadata into your documents.
MetaStrip opens your DOCX file directly in the browser using JSZip, removes or sanitizes the metadata XML files, and repackages the clean document — all without your file ever leaving your device.