Question 1

What are RSIDs and why do they reveal editing history?

Accepted Answer

Revision Session IDs (w:rsidR, w:rsidRPr, w:rsidP, etc.) are identifiers that Microsoft Office adds to paragraphs each time you edit a document. They create a timeline showing which edits were made in different sessions, even after accepting all changes. Our tool strips all w:rsid* attributes across every XML part in the file.

Question 2

Can colleagues see my comment history after I use "Accept All" in Word?

Accepted Answer

Using "Accept All Changes" removes tracked edits but does NOT delete the comments XML file (word/comments.xml) or threaded replies (word/commentsExtended.xml). Our tool deletes these files entirely AND removes all orphaned comment anchors (w:commentRangeStart, w:commentRangeEnd, w:commentReference) from the document body, headers, footers, and footnotes.

Question 3

What is customXml and how does it leak SharePoint data?

Accepted Answer

When documents are edited or stored in SharePoint, Teams, or enterprise content management systems, custom XML data parts (customXml/item*.xml) are injected into the OOXML archive. These can contain document classification labels, workflow metadata, user identifiers, and organizational hierarchy data. Our tool deletes the entire customXml/ directory and cleans all references from .rels and [Content_Types].xml.

Question 4

How do printerSettings files expose network information?

Accepted Answer

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint store printer device profiles as binary .bin files under printerSettings/. These files can contain the printer's network hostname, IP address, driver version, and UNC share path (e.g. \PRINTSERVER\Finance_HP). Our tool deletes all printerSettings/*.bin files and their relationship references.

Question 5

Does this tool work with .doc, .xls, and .ppt (legacy binary formats)?

Accepted Answer

Currently, our deep sanitizer supports modern OpenXML formats: .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. Legacy binary formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt) use a different internal structure (OLE2 Compound Binary) that requires a different engine. For those formats, use the generic Remove tool which can attempt basic metadata stripping.

Question 6

Will removing metadata break my document formatting or macros?

Accepted Answer

No formatting will be affected. Our tool removes metadata parts (docProps/, customXml/, comments, printerSettings, vbaProject.bin) and scrubs tracking attributes (RSIDs) from the XML. It does not modify text content, styles, embedded media, charts, or formulas. Note that VBA macros are removed as part of sanitization because macro files frequently contain hardcoded author names, company names, and internal file paths.

Field	Example Value	Privacy Risk
docProps/core.xml: dc:creator	Jane Doe	Reveals document author's real name
docProps/app.xml: Company	Acme Corp Legal Dept	Exposes organization and department
docProps/app.xml: Manager	Robert Chen	Leaks reporting hierarchy
w:rsidR (Revision Session ID)	00A1B2C3	Forensic trail of editing sessions
word/comments.xml	"Delete this before sending to client"	Internal review comments leaked
customXml/item1.xml	SharePoint taxonomy metadata	Enterprise classification labels
printerSettings/printerSettings1.bin	\\PRINTSERVER\Finance_HP	Internal network printer paths
docProps/thumbnail.wmf	(embedded preview image)	Visual preview of document content

Remove Hidden Metadata from Word, Excel & PowerPoint.

Drag & drop files here

What's Hidden Inside Your Files

Comprehensive Metadata Stripping

Document Properties (docProps/)

Revision Session IDs (RSIDs)

Comments & Annotations

SharePoint Custom XML (customXml/)

Printer Device Profiles

Tracking & Protection Flags

Common Questions

Learn More

How to Remove Author Name and Edit History From Word Documents

What Metadata Is Hidden in a PDF (and Why It Matters for Businesses)

Is Document Metadata a GDPR Compliance Risk?