Remove the author and "Last modified by" from an Excel file.
An .xlsx workbook records who created it, who saved it last and the company, and it shows them to anyone who opens File > Info. Here is how to remove them in Excel, and what else in a workbook can still give a name away.
Where Excel keeps the names
Open the workbook and choose File > Info. Under Related People on the right are Author and Last Modified By, per Microsoft's page on the Info tab. Show All Properties adds Company and Manager.
Inside the file they sit in docProps/core.xml (dc:creator and cp:lastModifiedBy) and docProps/app.xml (Company, Manager). Excel writes your Office user name into Last Modified By every time you save.
Remove them: Document Inspector
From Microsoft's support page:
- Save a copy first (File > Save As, new name). What the inspector removes may not come back with Undo.
- In the copy, choose File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document.
- Choose Inspect, then Remove All next to Document Properties and Personal Information.
- Save the copy, then look at File > Info again: Author and Last Modified By should be empty.
Two limits from the same page. The inspector cannot be used on a workbook saved as a shared workbook: copy it and turn sharing off first. And it flags some things it does not remove, such as external links and embedded files, for you to deal with by hand.
Other places a workbook names people
Excel's inspector also looks for these, and each can carry a name or data you did not mean to send:
- Comments and notes, which record who wrote them.
- Hidden rows, columns and worksheets that still hold data. Microsoft warns that removing them can change the results of formulas, so look at what is in them before you remove anything.
- Headers and footers, which often hold a name or a file path.
- The user name in the document properties, printer path information, and comments on scenarios and defined names.
Change the name instead of removing it
To put a different name in Author, Microsoft's steps: File > Info, right-click the author name under Related People, choose Edit Property and type the new name. To change the name every new file gets, set File > Options > User name and tick Always use these values regardless of sign-in to Office (Microsoft's page). That applies to all Office apps, and it is the name Excel will write into Last Modified By on your next save.
On a Mac
Microsoft's inspector page gives Windows steps only. On a Mac, check File > Properties after cleaning, or use a cleaner that shows you the fields it found and removed.
Or clean it here
FileSanity's document cleaner reads an .xlsx in your browser, shows the author, last modified by, company and manager, and downloads a copy with them emptied. It removes comments with their authors' names. Every cell, formula and sheet is copied as it was; hidden sheets, rows and columns are listed for you to deal with in Excel, not changed. The workbook is never uploaded. Older .xls files are not read; save them as .xlsx first.
Checked
Menu paths checked on 28 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Menus move between versions; when yours differs, the vendor's page is the authority. Found a mistake? Tell us.