Electronic documents may contain information that is not visible onscreen or in printouts but can be extracted from the document. For example, Word, WordPerfect, Excel, PDF and many other proprietary or open source documents may include:
- Layers of data that are hidden, such as previous versions of the document, author information, or business information
- Embedded objects, such as photos and spreadsheets, or embedded links
- Redacted material that has been hidden from view, but not removed from the document.
This creates a potential for inadvertent release of information when documents are published to the Web.
This list contains resources that provide more information on the risks associated with hidden data, as well as steps that can be taken to ensure that inappropriate material (e.g., information that is personally identifiable, business identifiable, for official use only, copyrighted, sensitive, or classified) is not unintentionally placed on the Web.
The Department of Commerce does not endorse any of the Web site links noted below. They are merely examples of resources which may be helpful. Because these links are to sites outside the control of the Department of Commerce, you should review the Privacy Notice of each site you visit, as its information collection practices may differ from ours. The list is not intended to be exhaustive.
Microsoft Word and other Microsoft Office Programs:
National Security Agency White Paper, Redacting with Confidence: How to Safely Publish Sanitized Reports Converted from Word to PDF, 2,2,2006.. (PDF) - link to National Security Agency Web site
Microsoft Office 2007:
Remove Hidden Data and Personal Information from Office Documents (Applies to Excel, PowerPoint and Word 2007) - link to Microsoft Web site
Inspect Documents for Hidden Data and Personal Information - link to Microsoft Web site.
Display Hidden Data and Empty Cells in a Chart (applies to Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook 2007) - link to Microsoft Web site
Microsoft Word 2003:
Protecting Personal Data in your Word 2003 Documents
Microsoft Office 2003/XP Plug-in:
Microsoft Office 2003/XP: Remove Hidden Data Add-in for Office 2003 and Office XP. The Remove Hidden Data Tool for Office 2003 and Office XP. A free download available from Microsoft.com that removes hidden data from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
Powerpoint
How to Minimize Metadata in Powerpoint Presentations – (applies to PowerPoint 2003 and 2007) – link to Microsoft Web site
Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles:
- How to Minimize Metadata in Office Documents
- WD 97: How to Minimize Metadata in Microsoft Word Documents
- How to Minimize Metadata in Word 2000 Documents
- How to Minimize Metadata in Word 2002
- How to minimize metadata in Word 2003
- How to Minimize Metadata in Excel Workbooks
- How to Minimize Metadata in Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 Presentations
- PPT2000: How to Minimize Metadata in Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations (applies to PowerPoint 2000)
- PPT97: How to Minimize Metadata in PowerPoint Presentations (applies to PowerPoint 97)
Microsoft Office Assistance:
- Control Metadata in Your Legal Documents (applies to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.)
- Check for Hidden Text, Comments, and Revisions Before Sending a Legal Document (applies to Word 2003)
- Find and Remove Metadata (Hidden Information) in your Legal Documents. (applies to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.)
Microsoft Training:
- Protect Word Documents (applies to Word 2003) - Learn how you can help protect your documents, including limiting who can access them and restricting changes others can make. Also, find out how to remove personal information, such as reviewers' names, tracked changes, and hidden text, before you share a document.
WordPerfect
WordPerfect Office X3 Metadata Removal Patch
Saving WordPerfect Files Without Metadata
WordPerfect Office 12: Minimizing Metadata in WordPerfect 12 Documents
Adobe Acrobat
Image Metadata in Adobe files:
Redaction of Confidential Information in Electronic Documents: How to safely remove sensitive information from Microsoft Word documents and PDF Documents Using Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
Department of Commerce Web Advisory Council (WAC)
U.S. Department of Commerce
Send questions and comments about this page to WAC@doc.gov
Page last updated October 12, 2010
- Alicia R. Sowah
Deputy Director of Digital Engagement
Gregory Johnson
Co-Chair, Web Advisory Commmitee