Who wrote this document?
Drop a document to see who wrote it
DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, older DOC/XLS/PPT and OpenDocument files
Works with Word Excel PowerPoint LibreOffice Pages export
or paste a link (Ctrl+V) Paste a link
How it works
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Drop your file in the box above, or tap to choose one.
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We read the information saved inside it. This takes a few seconds.
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The answer appears right away, with a link you can share and the full details if you want them.
The names inside an Office file
Word, Excel and PowerPoint quietly save who created a file and who saved it last, using the name of the computer's user or Office account. Many files also record a company name.
That's useful for finding out where a document came from, and worth checking before you send one of your own: these names travel with the file.
- Author
- Last modified by
- Company
- App used
Questions and answers
How do I find out who wrote a Word document?
Drop the file into the box above. You'll see the author, who saved it last, and the company and app recorded in it.
What does "Last modified by" mean?
The user name of whoever saved the file most recently. If it differs from the author, someone else edited the document.
Why is my name in documents I send?
Office adds it automatically from your account or computer name. Remove it with File, Info, Check for Issues, Inspect Document, or with our free Metadata Remover.
Can I find the author of an old .doc file?
Yes. Older Word, Excel and PowerPoint files store the same details, and we read them too.
Is the author name reliable?
It's a clue, not proof. It comes from whatever name was set on the computer, and it can be edited.
What happens to my file?
Your file is sent over an encrypted connection, read on our servers and deleted automatically after about 24 hours. The answer is kept on a page with its own link, so you can share it. Tool result pages are never listed in search engines.