The page you see is rarely all there is in a document. A Word file can hold the names of everyone who edited it and the text they deleted. A workbook can contain a hidden sheet. A presentation keeps its speaker notes, a PDF its author, its earlier saved versions and files attached out of sight. This checker opens a PDF, DOCX, XLSX or PPTX file, collects the common items of that kind in one list, and says what each is, where it is, why it matters and which FreeToolDesk tool deals with it.
It is an overview and a pointer, not a clearance: it does not remove anything and does not read your document for meaning. The file stays in your browser tab: it is read on your device and is not sent to our server or to any other service.
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Overview
About Send-Safe Document Checker
What it looks at
- PDF: document properties (author, title, creator) and XMP metadata; comment and markup annotations and the author names in them; earlier saved versions kept inside the file; files attached to the PDF; JavaScript and other actions; filled form fields; layers that are switched off; and patterns in the text of the first 40 pages that look like e-mail addresses, phone numbers, bank account numbers (IBAN with a valid checksum), payment card numbers (Luhn check) and US-style social security numbers.
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint: author, last editor, company and manager, custom properties, the preview thumbnail of the first page, comments, tracked changes (which keep deleted text), hidden and very hidden sheets, hidden names, speaker notes, reviewer names, macros, embedded objects, external links and templates, data connections, and the same personal-data patterns in the text.
The result. One of three levels. HIGH RISK when something can expose content a reader does not see or can run or load something (tracked changes, a very hidden sheet, speaker notes, attached files, scripts, macros, a payment card number). REVIEW when the file carries names, properties, comments or other items you may not want to share. OK when none of the listed checks flagged anything, and only that. Every finding has a severity, the place in the file, a short explanation and, where one applies, the tool to use next.
Which tool next. Metadata and hidden Office content: the Office Document Inspector & Metadata Remover. Macros and embedded objects: the Office Embedded Object & Macro Risk Scanner. PDF properties and annotation authors: the PDF Metadata Viewer & Remover. Scripts and actions: the PDF Active Content Scanner. Attached files: the PDF Attachments Extractor. Text that must be removed: the PDF Personal Data Scanner and the PDF Redaction Checker. Filled forms: Flatten PDF.
Privacy. The file is processed in your browser tab. The page itself is loaded from our server like any web page; your file is not part of any request, and the report is generated on your device.
Read more. The guides Office macros, embedded objects and links, hidden metadata in Office files and how to check a PDF before sharing it explain the items this checker lists.
Compatibility
Supported Formats
PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX files up to 100 MB (macro-enabled .docm, .xlsm and .pptm files are scanned for code and links; their properties are not listed). Not supported: the old binary formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt), OpenDocument files, images, and password-protected files other than a notice that the file is encrypted.
Guide
How to Use Send-Safe Document Checker
- Drop the file you are about to send onto the box.
- Read the level (HIGH RISK, REVIEW or OK) and the counts.
- Go through the findings, most serious first: what was found, where, and why it matters.
- Open the tool named in a finding to deal with it, then check the new file here again before you send it.
Highlights
Features
- One list for four formats PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint checked in a single pass with the same levels.
- HIGH RISK, REVIEW, OK A clear level with a definition of what each means, and no claim beyond the checks.
- What, where, why Every finding names the item, its place in the file and why it matters.
- Next tool named Links to the specialised FreeToolDesk tool for each kind of finding.
- Stays in your browser tab Read on your device; nothing is removed, changed or sent anywhere.
Applications
Use Cases
- Sending a contract, report or offer to someone outside your organisation
- Publishing a PDF or spreadsheet on a website or sharing it in a public channel
- Checking a template you reuse for names and company data left in it
- Looking for hidden sheets, tracked changes and notes in a workbook or presentation
- Finding out what a received file reveals about its authors
Good to Know
Limitations
This is an overview of common items, not a complete inspection and not a clearance. It does not remove or change anything, does not read your document for meaning, and cannot see what is inside images or scanned pages, inside encrypted content, or in text that is merely covered by a black or white box (use the PDF Redaction Checker for that). The personal-data checks are pattern matches and can miss names, addresses and identifiers, or flag harmless numbers.
"OK" means that none of the checks listed under "What was checked" flagged anything. It does not mean the file contains nothing sensitive or that it is safe to send. Where a finding names another tool, that tool does the detailed inspection and any removal; this one does not replace them.
This tool runs entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded to our servers. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my document uploaded?
No. The file is read and checked in your browser tab and is not sent to our server or to any other service. The page itself loads from our server like any web page, but your file is not part of any request.
Does OK mean I can send the file safely?
No. OK means that none of the listed checks flagged anything. The text, pictures and wording of the document are your responsibility, and the checks do not read for meaning or see inside images.
Does it remove the hidden information?
No. It is an overview. Each finding points to the tool that inspects the item in detail and, where possible, removes it, such as the Office Document Inspector & Metadata Remover or the PDF Metadata Viewer & Remover.
Why do tracked changes count as high risk?
Tracked deletions keep the deleted text inside the file and each change names its author. A recipient can read both, even though the page you see looks final.
Why are e-mail addresses or numbers flagged in the text?
Patterns that look like e-mail addresses, phone numbers, IBANs, card numbers or social security numbers can expose people or accounts. They are matches by pattern; read the pages yourself before sending.
Is this the same as the PDF Personal Data Scanner or the Office inspector?
No. Those tools inspect one area in depth. This one gives one list across all the common areas and tells you which of them to use for each item.
Keep Going
Related Tools
- PDF Personal Data Scanner Scan a PDF for likely personal and payment identifiers (IBAN, email, phone, VAT and ID numbers) before you share it. A detection aid; runs in your browser.
- PDF Metadata Viewer & Remover See the title, author, producer, dates, XMP and document IDs hidden in a PDF, and download a copy without them. Lists exactly what could not be removed. In your browser.
- Office Document Inspector & Metadata Remover Remove metadata from Word, Excel and PowerPoint files: see author names, comments, tracked-change authors, hidden sheets and speaker notes first, then clean a copy. In your browser.
- PDF Active Content Scanner Check a PDF for JavaScript, OpenAction, launch and submit actions, embedded files, XFA and automatic triggers, with plain-language explanations. A structural inspection, not an antivirus. In your browser.
- PDF Redaction Checker Check whether a redacted PDF still contains the text under black or white boxes: finds selectable text beneath overlays, unapplied redaction annotations and words you name. In your browser.
- Excel Print Layout Preflight Checker Check an Excel workbook before printing or exporting to PDF: print area, paper size, scaling, page breaks, repeated headers, hidden rows and sheets and page count. PASS, WARNING or FAIL. In your browser.
- Office Embedded Object & Macro Risk Scanner Inspect a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file for VBA macros, ActiveX, OLE objects, embedded files, external links and templates, with severity and plain explanations. A structural scan, not an antivirus. In your browser.
- CSV Formula Injection Scanner & Cleaner Find CSV cells that a spreadsheet could read as formulas (starting with = + - @ or a tab), see row, column and reason, and download a cleaned copy. A defensive utility. In your browser.
- DOCX Heading & Numbering Structure Checker Check the heading structure of a Word document: skipped levels, fake bold headings, empty headings, inconsistent or duplicate numbering and an out-of-date table of contents. In your browser.