Sending a file is a decision about everything inside it, not just what you can see. Use this checklist when a file leaves your control: to a client, a court, a journalist, a marketplace or a public website.
- Decide what the recipient should know. Everything else is a candidate for removal.
- Look first. Open the file in the File Metadata Viewer and read the flagged fields.
- Photos and video: remove the position, the device and the dates with the Image, HEIC or Video tool.
- Documents: remove the author, company and thumbnail with the Document Metadata Remover. Resolve comments and tracked changes first.
- PDFs: use a real redaction command for hidden text, then clean the metadata with the PDF Metadata Remover.
- Spreadsheets: break links to other files and delete hidden sheets before cleaning.
- Audio: remove tags and cover art with the Audio Metadata Remover.
- Archives: if you zip a folder, clean the files inside first, then clean the ZIP so the save dates and comments are gone.
- Read the report. A tool that cannot remove a field should say so. Anything left is listed.
- Send the clean copy and keep the original. The original is your master file.
Who needs this most
- Lawyers and courts: drafts reveal authors, revisions and editing time.
- Journalists and sources: photos and recordings can identify a place and a device.
- Sellers and landlords: listing photos can give away a home address.
- Companies: workbooks and slide decks can expose internal paths and names.