7 Steps to Protect Your Documents Before Sharing Them

Every document you share is a potential information leak. Here's how to protect yourself.

1. Check the author metadata

Open document properties and verify the author name is appropriate for external sharing.

2. Review tracked changes

Accept or reject all changes and delete the revision history. In Word, go to Review → Accept All → then save as a new file.

3. Remove hidden comments

Comments you thought you deleted might still be in the file. Check thoroughly.

4. Strip embedded objects

Images pasted from phones may contain GPS data. Embedded Excel sheets may contain extra tabs.

5. Check the filename

A filename like "Contract_v3_FINAL_johns-edits_CONFIDENTIAL.pdf" tells recipients more than you'd like.

6. Flatten if high-security

For truly sensitive documents, flatten to image-only format to eliminate any hidden content.

7. Generate an audit report

Before sharing, run DocInspector's audit to get a complete picture of what's in your document. It takes seconds and could save you from a costly mistake.