PDF Metadata Viewer & Remover
See the hidden information inside any PDF — who made it, when, and with what software — then edit it or scrub it completely. Locally, in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
PDF Metadata Tool
Drag & drop a PDF file
or click to browse (one PDF at a time)
The Hidden Information Inside Every PDF
Every PDF carries a passport you can't see on the page: the document's metadata. It typically records who created the file (often the real name attached to your Windows or macOS account, or your company's registered Office license), exactly when it was created and last modified, and which software produced it. Many PDFs carry a second, richer layer called an XMP metadata stream that can duplicate and extend all of that. None of it is visible when you read the document — all of it travels with the file when you send it.
That's rarely what people intend. The freelancer quoting two competing clients doesn't mean to reveal that both quotes came from the same template file created months ago. The HR manager sending a rejection letter doesn't mean to include their full name. The whistleblower or the anonymous complainant certainly doesn't mean to sign their document invisibly. This tool shows you exactly what your PDF is carrying, lets you correct fields you want to keep (a proper title and author improve search and accessibility), and can scrub everything in one click.
And because metadata is precisely the kind of sensitive detail you wouldn't want on a stranger's server, this tool — like everything on this site — runs entirely on your device. The file is parsed locally by the open-source pdf-lib library; nothing is uploaded. Verify it yourself.
How to View, Edit, or Remove PDF Metadata
- Add your PDF. Drop it in the area above. The document's information fields appear instantly — read straight from the file, on your device.
- Review what it reveals. Pay particular attention to Author (usually a person's real name), Creator and Producer (which can reveal your software and sometimes your employer), and the timestamps. The note beneath the fields tells you whether the file also contains an XMP metadata stream.
- Edit, if you want to keep metadata. Change any field and click Download with Edited Metadata — useful for setting a clean, professional title and author before publishing a document.
- Or scrub everything. Click Scrub All Metadata & Download to clear every information field, reset both timestamps, and strip the XMP metadata stream entirely. The result is a copy of your document with the passport removed; your original file is untouched.
When to Scrub PDF Metadata
- Sending documents outside your organization: proposals, quotes, and reports often reveal author names, internal template origins, and revision timing.
- Publishing documents publicly: anything posted on a website will have its metadata read by search engines and anyone curious enough to check.
- Anonymous submissions: complaints, tips, reviews, and competition entries are only as anonymous as their metadata.
- Job applications: a resume "last modified" five minutes before the deadline, or authored by someone with a different name, tells its own story.
- Legal and procurement contexts: timestamps and authorship details can contradict a document's stated history.
What Scrubbing Does — and Doesn't — Remove
Scrubbing clears the document information dictionary (title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer) and resets its timestamps, and it removes the document-level XMP metadata stream. That covers where the overwhelming majority of identifying metadata lives. Be aware of the honest limits: it does not alter the visible content of your pages (a signature block or letterhead stays right where it is), it does not remove annotation authors on comments and markup, and it does not reach metadata embedded inside images placed in the document. For removing visible sensitive content, you need redaction, not metadata scrubbing.
How It Works in Your Browser
When you add a file, it is read into your tab's memory and parsed by pdf-lib, which exposes the PDF's information dictionary directly — the same fields a desktop PDF editor would show under "Document Properties." The tool deliberately loads the file with metadata-updating disabled, so simply opening a document here changes nothing. When you download, a new copy is written in memory with your chosen fields (or none), and handed to your browser as a download. No server ever sees the file, its metadata, or even its name.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The file is read and parsed entirely in your browser's memory, and the edited or scrubbed copy is generated there too. Metadata inspection is exactly the kind of sensitive operation that shouldn't involve anyone else's server — which is why this tool, like every tool on this site, is built so that it can't. See our Proof of Privacy page for how to verify it.
No. Metadata lives alongside your pages, not inside them. Scrubbing rewrites only the document's information fields and XMP stream — every page, image, font, and piece of text is copied through unchanged, and file size stays essentially identical.
It removes the document-level metadata, which is where PDFs identify their authors — but anonymity also depends on what's visibly in the document (names, letterheads, signatures), on annotation authors if the file contains comments, and on how you transmit the file. Treat metadata scrubbing as a necessary step, not the only one.
Good metadata is genuinely useful when a document is meant to be public and attributable: a proper title shows up in browser tabs and search results, and a correct author field helps accessibility tools and document management systems. Edit when you're publishing on purpose; scrub when the document should speak for itself.
No — an encrypted file's metadata can't be reliably read or rewritten without the password. Remove the protection in your PDF reader first, scrub the copy here, and re-protect it afterwards if needed.