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PDF Metadata Viewer & Remover

See the hidden author, software and dates your PDF is carrying, then strip them out, or set your own title and author, before you send it to anyone.

Private · on device. Runs in your browser: your file is not uploaded. No sign-up.

One PDF file

The part of a PDF nobody looks at

Every PDF carries a small block of information about itself that is never shown on the page. Open any document's properties and you will usually find a name, a piece of software, and a pair of timestamps. The file was built to carry them and does so silently.

Most of the time this is harmless. Occasionally it is not, and the cases where it matters are exactly the ones where a file is going to someone who does not know you.

What it actually gives away

FieldWhat it commonly contains
AuthorThe account name of whoever created the file, often a full real name
CreatorThe application, frequently with its exact version
ProducerThe PDF engine, reveals the operating system and toolchain
Created / ModifiedTimestamps that can contradict a stated timeline
TitleOften the original filename, including internal project names

The recurring embarrassment is the author field. Documents built from a colleague's template or a downloaded example keep the original author's name, so a CV can arrive credited to a stranger and a "bespoke" proposal can name the client it was recycled from.

What this removes, and what it cannot

Removed: every standard metadata field, author, title, subject, keywords, creator and producer. That is what document-properties dialogs display and what automated readers extract.

Not removed: anything printed on the page. A name in the text, a letterhead, a signature image, or details inside an embedded photograph are page content, not metadata, and no metadata cleaner can touch them. If the concern is a specific page, the split tool lets you send only the pages that matter.

Also worth knowing: images have their own metadata. A photograph taken on a phone carries GPS coordinates, and one embedded in a PDF may bring them along. Anything processed through our image tools is redrawn from its pixels, which drops EXIF data including location.

A sensible habit

Check before sending, rather than cleaning everything reflexively. Metadata is genuinely useful inside an organisation, it is how documents get attributed and versioned. The moment worth pausing at is when a file crosses a boundary: a job application, a tender, a court filing, a document posted publicly.

Frequently asked questions

What metadata does a PDF carry?

Typically the author name, the title, the application that created it (often with a version number), the PDF engine that produced it, and creation and modification timestamps. None of it is visible on the page, and all of it travels with the file.

Why does my name appear as the author?

Word, Pages, Google Docs and most editors stamp the account name of whoever created the document. If you exported a PDF from a template someone else made, the author field may still name them, which has embarrassed more than one job applicant and more than one law firm.

Does removing metadata change the document?

No. The pages, text, fonts and images are untouched; only the document information dictionary is cleared. The file will look identical and print identically.

Can I change the title or author instead of removing them?

Yes. Under "Or change the details", type the title, author, subject and keywords you want and save. The new copy carries exactly those, with the software and date fields removed. The title is what many PDF readers and browsers show in the window or tab instead of the file name.

Does this remove everything identifying?

It removes the standard metadata fields, which is what document properties dialogs show and what most automated tools read. It cannot remove information contained in the page content itself, a letterhead, a signature, a name typed in the text, or details embedded inside an image.

Should I do this before sending a CV or a tender?

It is a reasonable habit for anything going to strangers. The common cases people regret are a CV that names the template author, a tender document whose creation date contradicts the covering letter, and a "new" document whose producer field reveals it was edited from a competitor's file.