Yes. Every .xlsx carries properties such as the author and dates, and it can also hold things that aren't labeled metadata at all, such as comment authors and hidden sheets. We built a test workbook and cleaned it several ways. Clearing the properties, including with our own tool, left the hidden data in place.
An .xlsx file is really a ZIP folder of XML files, so you can rename a copy to .zip and read it yourself. Some of what's inside describes the file, and some of it is content most people forget is there:
| What it reveals | Where it lives | Where you can see it in Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Author, last saved by, title, subject, keywords, created and modified dates | docProps/core.xml | File > Info |
| Company, manager, app version, editing time, sheet names | docProps/app.xml | File > Info > Show All Properties (partly) |
| Custom properties, such as sensitivity labels | docProps/custom.xml | Advanced Properties |
| Comment and note authors | xl/comments files, plus a people list for threaded comments | Hover or the Comments pane |
| Hidden sheets and their contents | xl/worksheets, flagged in xl/workbook.xml | Right-click a tab > Unhide |
| Defined names | xl/workbook.xml | Formulas > Name Manager |
| Paths to other workbooks | xl/externalLinks | Data > Edit Links |
Files saved by Excel can hold more: the workbook often records the folder it was last saved in, which may include a Windows username, and printer settings can be stored too. Our test file came from a Python library rather than Excel, so we didn't measure those, and it's worth checking your own copy.
We built a small workbook with a name in the properties, on a cell comment and on a hidden "Salaries" sheet, plus a defined name that contained it as well. Then we cleaned it several ways and searched every part of each result for the name. Searching the raw file won't work, by the way: a ZIP is compressed, so a text search finds nothing even when the name is there. We checked inside the package.
| Method | Size | Name in properties | Comment author | Hidden sheet | Defined name | Parts holding the name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original test file | 6,858 B | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 |
| Our Document Metadata Remover | 6,930 B | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 |
| Delete sheet, comment and name, clear properties (scripted) | 4,857 B | No | No | No | No | 0 |
| Export first sheet to CSV | 32 B | No | No | No | No | 0 |
Our own remover did what its page promises, and it's worth being clear about the limit. It emptied all ten property fields it found, including both dates, but it leaves workbook content alone. The hidden sheet and comment author came through, and the status line says it removed all the identifying items it found, which only refers to properties. Don't read that line as a clean bill of health for the whole file.
The third row kept the created and modified dates, so it isn't fully blank either. This was one small generated file, tested in Chromium 145. The numbers will differ for yours, and we didn't test desktop Excel's own tools.
Excel's Document Inspector goes further than a property cleaner. Save a copy first, because Microsoft warns that you may not be able to undo it. Then go to File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document, and select Inspect. According to Microsoft's documentation, it handles these items differently:
| Item | Can the inspector remove it? |
|---|---|
| Comments and annotations | Yes |
| Document properties and personal info | Yes |
| Headers and footers | Yes |
| Hidden rows, columns and worksheets | Yes, but formulas that use them can change |
| Custom XML and invisible content | Yes |
| External links | Finds only, fix by hand |
| Embedded files, macros and PivotTable cached data | Finds only, fix by hand |
| Hidden names, scenarios and active filters | Finds only, fix by hand |
Unhide hidden sheets and look at them before removing anything. If a visible total depends on a hidden sheet, deleting that sheet can break the formula. To keep the numbers, copy the range and paste values first. On a shared workbook, some inspectors won't run until you turn sharing off on a copy.
No Excel on this computer? Our Document Metadata Remover clears properties in your browser with no upload, and you can open the file in the XLSX viewer to look at its contents. Remove the hidden sheets and comments before that step, though, since no property cleaner will do it.
CSV does, mostly as a side effect. It has nowhere to put properties, comments or formulas, so the export is only values. Our XLSX to CSV converter wrote the first sheet with no trace of the name. Be careful with two things. CSV loses your formulas and formatting, so it isn't a substitute when someone needs a working model. And hidden sheets aren't truly hidden from a converter: ours showed "Salaries" as a normal tab you could export, so a hidden sheet can leak if you export everything.
PDF is a different file with its own metadata. Our one-sheet test through Excel to PDF wrote only the generator's name, with no author, but Excel's own export can copy document properties across. A two-sheet workbook converted too when we retested on November 4, with both sheets in the PDF. We cover what to check in Do PDF Files Have Metadata? Hidden data won't print from Excel unless you unhide it, though our converter's notes say hidden rows and columns are included, so look over the output.
If you only need someone to see the numbers, send values in a new workbook, or a CSV. The file can't reveal what was never copied into it. The same habits apply to other Office files, as we explain in removing metadata from Word documents. If you're dealing with a legal hold or a records request, ask your attorney before you clean anything.
Often, yes. Excel records an author and a last-saved-by name under File > Info, usually from the Office account or user name of whoever made the file. It's easy to change or copy from a template, so treat it as a clue and not as proof.
A regular .xlsx stores only the last person to save, not a full history. Workbooks in OneDrive or SharePoint do keep version history on the server, but that record isn't inside a copy you download and email.
No. It can remove properties, comments, hidden sheets and more, but Microsoft says it only reports external links, embedded objects, macros and PivotTable cached data, so you have to deal with those by hand. Always run it on a copy.
It removes the old file's properties, but your own name goes on the new file, and formulas that point to the old workbook can create external links. Paste values only if you want a clean break, then check Data > Edit Links.
Not inside the file. A CSV is plain text with no property fields, comments or hidden sheets. Your computer still tracks basic details such as the file's dates, and those can change when it's copied or emailed.