Free Document Sanitizer
This free online document sanitizer removes active content from files before you share or open them. Upload a PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or image file and we rebuild its visible pages as a flattened PDF, removing macros, embedded scripts, OLE objects, and clickable link behavior. No account required.
PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PNG, JPG. Max 4MB.
How it works: rasterize and rebuild
This tool uses content disarm and reconstruction (CDR), the same approach used by Dangerzone. Instead of relying only on known-bad patterns, it rasterizes every page to flat pixels, then rebuilds a brand-new PDF from those pixel images only. Nothing from the original file's underlying structure, code, or markup carries over. A macro, an embedded script, or clickable hyperlink cannot remain active after that round trip: there is no macro, script, or clickable link in a page that is now a flat image.
This is a different guarantee than antivirus scanning. Signature and heuristic scanners attempt to identify suspicious content. Rasterize-and-rebuild instead removes the original document structure and active components without needing to classify each component as malicious first. It does not prove that the visible information is honest or safe to act on.
What it removes
- VBA macros in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files
- Embedded JavaScript in PDFs
- OLE objects and embedded executables
- Remote template injection and other "phone home" triggers in Office files
- Clickable link behavior; visible URLs and QR codes may still appear on the page
The upload is validated by its magic-byte signature, not its file extension or the browser-reported content type, both of which an attacker controls and can fake.
Supported file types and limits
| Input | Output | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PNG, JPG | PDF (always) | 4MB per file, 5 files/hour per IP |
Output is always a PDF, even when you upload an Office document or an image. That is a direct consequence of the rasterize-and-rebuild method: once a page becomes flat pixels, PDF is the natural container to rebuild it into.
Online document sanitizer vs. antivirus and Dangerzone
Dangerzone is a free, open-source desktop app you install and run locally, converting files inside an isolated container on your own machine with no network access during conversion. That gives it a stronger isolation guarantee than any web-based tool can offer.
This tool trades some of that isolation for convenience: no install, works from a phone or a locked-down work laptop, done in seconds. The conversion step runs on a separate, isolated service with zero API keys or credentials to any of our other systems, so even a worst-case failure in the conversion step has nothing to reach or steal. It is not a full network-egress lockdown the way a fully offline tool is. For a routine attachment from an unknown sender, that tradeoff is reasonable. For a file you already suspect is a targeted, high-value attack, run it through Dangerzone offline instead.
| Method | What it does | Best fit | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antivirus scan | Classifies known or suspicious content | Routine endpoint protection | Keeps the original document structure |
| Protego online CDR | Rebuilds visible pages as a flattened PDF | Quick checks without installing software | Requires upload; PDF output; visible URLs and QR codes remain |
| Dangerzone offline | Converts inside an isolated local container | Sensitive or targeted documents | Requires desktop installation and local resources |
Recommended: Bitdefender GravityZone
Sanitizing catches one file when you remember to upload it. GravityZone scans every file automatically in real time, with EDR and ransomware remediation built into one lightweight agent, so lean IT teams get always-on coverage without running a full SOC.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a replacement for antivirus scanning?
No. Treat it as an extra layer for files you are unsure about, on top of your existing endpoint protection, not a replacement for it.
Does the sanitized file look the same as the original?
Usually, but not always exactly. Each page is rendered and rebuilt as a PDF, so normal documents remain visually similar while complex layouts, animations, forms, accessibility structure, and interactive elements can change or disappear.
Why can I only sanitize 5 files an hour?
Conversion is CPU and memory-heavy (it runs a full document rendering pipeline per file), so the rate limit keeps the tool free and available to everyone instead of one user or a bot exhausting it.
Do you keep a copy of my file?
No. The file is processed in temporary storage and deleted immediately after conversion, on both sides of the pipeline. We only log metadata (IP, file size, format, outcome, and a hash) for abuse prevention.
See the public methodology, limitations, test inventory, and harmless validation fixtures.