To share an Excel report safely, make a separate copy, remove sensitive content from that copy, inspect it, and then grant access only to the intended recipients. In Excel, start with File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document. Do not rely on hidden sheets, rows, or columns—or on view-only permissions—to protect information inside a workbook recipients can access.
1. Make a copy before removing anything
Keep the original workbook intact and prepare a separate copy for sharing. Microsoft recommends running Document Inspector on a copy because some removals may not be undoable. Removing hidden data can also affect formulas or calculations, so preserve a version you can return to if the cleaned copy behaves differently.
2. Run Document Inspector and review its findings
- Open the sharing copy. Confirm you are working in the separate file, not the original.
- Open the Inspector. In Excel, select File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document.
- Select inspection categories and run the inspection. Review the findings category by category. Microsoft says the Inspector can help find and remove hidden data and personal information stored in Excel documents: Document Inspector guidance.
- Remove only what should not be shared. Use Remove All only when you understand the finding and are comfortable with the effect. Then run the Inspector again to check the copy after cleanup.
The Excel-specific guidance says Document Inspector can find and remove comments and annotations, document properties and personal information, worksheet headers and footers, hidden rows, columns, and worksheets, custom XML, and objects formatted as invisible. It does not catch everything, and some findings require manual review.
3. Review hidden content and items the Inspector cannot remove
Hidden sheets, rows, and columns
Unhide and review hidden areas before deciding whether to retain or remove them. Hidden content is not redaction: recipients of a shared copy may be able to unhide it. Removing hidden rows, columns, or sheets can change formulas or calculations, and hidden areas used by tables or PivotTables may be handled differently by the Inspector.
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External links and embedded content
Microsoft says the Inspector can flag external workbook links and embedded files or objects, but it cannot remove them automatically because doing so may affect workbook behavior. Manually inspect references in cells, defined names, objects, chart titles, and data series. Examine embedded content and remove it or replace it with a safe representation if it contains information the recipient should not see.
Other places sensitive information can remain
- Comments, annotations, document properties, and personal information
- Headers and footers, custom XML, and invisible objects
- External data connections and content placed in hidden areas
- Objects covered by other objects or other visual elements the Inspector may not detect
For older workbooks using the legacy Shared Workbooks feature, Microsoft notes that some Inspector checks are unavailable. Its documented workaround is to copy and unshare the workbook before removing information. See Microsoft’s Inspector instructions for the applicable details.
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4. Choose what to send and how recipients should access it
First decide how much of the workbook the recipient actually needs. If they need only selected figures, a separate sanitized workbook or static extract containing only approved material is easier to review than sending the full workbook with hidden content. Microsoft also documents sharing a workbook section; its support guidance notes that the section highlight is removed when the workbook is opened in desktop Excel or downloaded. Sharing a section does not mean the source workbook has been sanitized.
If recipients need to collaborate on the workbook, Excel can share it through OneDrive or SharePoint Online. Choose view or edit access deliberately, but remember that permissions govern access and do not remove sensitive information from the file. Check direct access, sharing links, and inherited folder or site permissions, as recipients may have access through a parent location. The options can differ for personal, work, and school accounts and may be customized by an organization. Microsoft also notes that changing an existing link from edit to view access, or vice versa, may require deleting that link and creating another with the intended permission. See Microsoft’s Excel sharing guidance.
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5. Verify the exact copy or link before sending
Reopen the copy or link you intend to share. Check its visible content, formulas, sheets, links, and access settings, and confirm the recipient list and link permissions. This final check helps catch mistakes such as sharing the original instead of the cleaned copy, leaving an unexpected sheet in place, or granting access more broadly than intended.
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