What metadata can reveal
Files often carry information that is not visible in the document or photo itself: the author or last editor, creation and modification dates, camera and phone model, GPS coordinates, software used to create the file, company names and custom Office properties. This tool shows those fields before you share the file. It also correlates fields and file structure to explain likely provenance and workflow patterns, with explicit confidence levels.
How interpretation works
The intelligence layer is deterministic and runs locally. It explains each field, recognises common software fingerprints such as openpyxl, Aspose, Microsoft Office, Adobe tools and PDF generators, and correlates multiple signals to flag likely template workflows, automated conversion pipelines, document timelines and privacy risks. These are evidence-based interpretations, not proof.
It also checks deeper structural signals such as Office comments, tracked changes, hidden sheets, external links, embedded objects and thumbnails, plus PDF revisions, attachments, annotations, forms, layers, JavaScript and object-level metadata references.
What the cleaner removes
- Photos: EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC and comments. ICC colour profiles are kept so colours continue to render correctly.
- PDF: document-info fields and XMP metadata. Page content is left intact.
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint: author, last editor, timestamps, company/manager, editing time and custom properties. Title and subject are kept.
The original file is never changed. You download a new cleaned copy. A cleaned Office file may be somewhat larger because its ZIP package is rebuilt without recompression; the document content itself is unchanged.
Important limits
This is a metadata cleaner, not a guarantee that a document contains no private information. Visible text, comments, tracked changes, annotations, hidden spreadsheet cells, embedded files and other document content can still contain sensitive information. For PDFs, saving a cleaned copy can invalidate an existing digital signature; the tool warns when it detects one.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Metadata inspection and cleaning run with JavaScript and WebAssembly running in your browser tab. Your files are read from your device and the results are created on your device; nothing is sent to gratistools.be or anyone else, which is also why there are no queues, daily limits or watermarks. See the privacy page.