Check Word Document Metadata

How .docx metadata is structured

A modern Word file is not one opaque binary blob — it's a zip archive containing a set of XML files. Two of those files are dedicated purely to metadata: docProps/core.xml holds core properties like title, subject, creator, and creation/modification dates, and docProps/app.xml holds application-level details like the company name, the Word version used, total editing time in minutes, and word/character/paragraph counts. A third file, docProps/custom.xml, can carry additional custom fields some organizations use for document management systems.

None of these fields are visible anywhere in the document's rendered text, which is exactly why they catch people off guard. A document edited collaboratively across a team, then exported and shared externally as though it came from one anonymous or generic source, can still name the actual last editor, the originating company, and even the cumulative editing time in its metadata.

Checking and cleaning a file

Drop your .docx into the tool above and Metapeek unzips it locally, reads docProps/core.xml, docProps/app.xml, and docProps/custom.xml directly, and displays every populated field in a grouped table. Nothing about this process requires converting the file, calling an external API, or waiting on a server — the entire zip is read and parsed by JavaScript running in your browser tab.

If any of the fields reveal information you didn't intend to share, use the "Remove all metadata" button to download a cleaned copy with those XML parts reset, while every paragraph, heading, and formatting choice in the actual document body remains exactly as it was.