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To share an Excel report safely, make a separate copy, remove information recipients should not see, review the cleaned copy, and give access only to the intended people. In Excel, start with File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document, but do not rely on the Inspector alone: hidden content, links, embedded objects, and other workbook details may need manual review. If recipients need only some figures, send a separate report or extract containing only those approved figures.
Why a workbook can reveal more than its visible cells
A workbook may contain sensitive information that is not apparent in the open worksheet: hidden sheets, rows or columns, comments, document properties, external links, embedded objects, or content in headers and footers. Hiding information is not the same as removing it. Microsoft warns that recipients of a shared copy may be able to unhide hidden rows, columns, or worksheets.
Likewise, view-only permission limits what a recipient can do with a file; it does not sanitize the contents of a workbook they can access. If a person must not see particular information, remove it from the copy you share or create a separate report containing only approved data.
Clean a copy before sharing
- Preserve the original. Save a separate copy for external or broader sharing. Microsoft recommends working on a copy because some Document Inspector removals may not be recoverable with Undo.
- Run Document Inspector. In the copy, select File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document. Choose the categories to inspect, run the inspection, and review the findings. Use Remove All only for material you have decided should be removed. Run the inspection again after making changes.
- Review hidden workbook structure. Check for hidden worksheets, rows, and columns. Unhide and review their contents before deciding whether to remove them. Deleting data-bearing areas can affect formulas or calculations, and hidden areas in tables or PivotTables may be handled differently by the Inspector.
- Examine items that need manual work. Document Inspector can flag external workbook links and embedded files or objects, but it does not remove them automatically because removal may affect workbook behavior. Check references in cells, defined names, objects, chart titles, and data series. Inspect embedded content and remove it or replace it with a safe representation if needed.
- Review other exposure points. Check comments and annotations, document properties and personal information, headers and footers, custom XML, invisible objects, external data, and content placed in hidden areas. The Inspector may miss objects covered by other objects and some other visual ways of concealing text.
- Reopen and verify the exact copy to be delivered. Review its visible content, formulas, worksheets, and links, then confirm the access settings for the file or link you plan to send.
Microsoft’s Excel guidance describes Document Inspector as a way to find and remove hidden data and personal information. It is a useful check, not proof that every sensitive element has been found.
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Choose what to share based on what recipients need
| Recipient’s need | Practical choice | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborate on the full workbook | Share the reviewed copy through Excel with OneDrive or SharePoint Online. | Choose view or edit access deliberately and review direct access, sharing links, and inherited folder or site permissions. |
| See only selected figures or a limited section | Create a separate sanitized workbook or static extract containing only approved material. | This avoids sending the rest of the workbook. Microsoft also documents sharing a workbook section, but that is not a substitute for sanitizing the source workbook. |
Microsoft’s section-sharing feature highlights the selected section in supported contexts; its support page notes that the highlight is removed when the recipient opens the workbook in desktop Excel or downloads it. Do not treat section sharing as a guarantee that other workbook data has been removed.
Set and check access in OneDrive or SharePoint
For collaboration, share through Excel with OneDrive or SharePoint Online and select view or edit permissions to match the recipient’s role. Before sending, check who has direct access, which sharing links exist, and whether people can gain access through a parent folder or site. The options shown can differ between personal and work or school accounts and may be customized by an organization.
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Microsoft notes that changing an existing sharing link from edit to view access, or the reverse, may require deleting that link and creating a new one with the intended permission. Confirm the recipient list and link settings rather than assuming the permission on one link reflects every way someone could access the file.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Special case: legacy Shared Workbooks
Some Document Inspector checks are unavailable for workbooks saved using Excel’s older Legacy Shared Workbooks feature. Microsoft’s documented workaround is to make a copy and unshare that copy before removing information. Review the cleaned copy and its sharing arrangement before distributing it.
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Final pre-send checks
- The shared file is a separate copy, not the original workbook.
- Hidden sheets, rows, and columns have been reviewed; anything recipients must not see has been removed rather than merely hidden.
- Inspector findings, external links, embedded content, comments, properties, and other relevant exposure points have been checked.
- Formulas and workbook behavior have been reviewed after removals.
- The recipient list, sharing links, direct access, inherited permissions, and view or edit access match the intended audience.
- The exact file or link intended for recipients has been reopened and checked.
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