Remove PDF metadata
Strip author, title and hidden document properties.
Or drop one anywhere on this page
What to know about Remove PDF Metadata
A PDF carries more than its pages. The file usually records who wrote it, which program produced it, when it was created and last touched, and sometimes a block of XMP data holding all of that again in another format. None of it is visible when you read the document, and all of it travels with the file. This tool strips those properties on your device and shows you exactly which ones were there.
How to remove PDF metadata
- 1
Open the PDF
Choose the file or drop it on the page. It is read on your device, never sent anywhere.
- 2
Strip the properties
One pass clears the document information and any XMP block it carried.
- 3
Check what was found
Each property is listed as removed, replaced or absent, then you download the clean file.
What Remove PDF Metadata accepts and produces
- Input
- One PDF carrying document properties you would rather not send.
- Output
- The same document with author, title, subject, keywords, creator and XMP data removed, plus a list of exactly what was found and what became of it.
- Limits
- The Producer field is replaced rather than deleted, because every PDF writer stamps one. This clears document properties; it does not remove anything visible on the pages themselves.
- Offline
- Yes, completely. Stripping document properties needs no additional engine.
Why Remove PDF Metadata here
- Author, title, subject, keywords, creator and dates cleared in one pass
- XMP data removed from the file rather than just unlinked from it
- Reports which properties were actually present, not a blanket claim
- Pages, bookmarks, links, annotations and form fields left untouched
Where your file goes
Nowhere. This tool runs inside your browser, and the page is served with a policy that forbids it from sending your document anywhere. You can confirm that yourself: open your browser’s developer tools, watch the Network tab, and process a file.
Questions
What exactly counts as PDF metadata?
Two things. The document information dictionary holds the title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer and the creation and modification dates. Separately, many files carry an XMP packet — an XML block that repeats much of the same information and sometimes adds editing history. This tool clears both.
Why does the report say a property was replaced rather than removed?
Producer is the one field that cannot be blank: every program that writes a PDF stamps its own name there, including the library this tool uses. Your original producer is gone, and what replaces it is a generic library name that says nothing about you or your software. Reporting that as removed would not be true, so it is reported as replaced.
Does removing metadata change how the document looks?
Not at all. Metadata sits beside the pages rather than in them, so the text, images, layout and fonts are identical. Bookmarks, internal and external links, annotations and form fields are preserved as well.
Will this hide who I am?
It removes the properties stored in the file's metadata. It cannot remove your name from the visible page content, from a signature, from text inside an image, or from a filename. Read the document itself before sharing it if that matters.
Why do some properties show as absent?
Because the file never carried them. A PDF exported from a phone often has no title or subject at all. Listing those as removed would suggest work that did not happen, so they are shown as absent instead.
Does it remove a digital signature?
No, but rewriting the file can invalidate one. This is a modifying operation, so if the document is signed you will see a warning before anything happens and can stop. A signature that matters should be checked in a viewer afterwards.
Can I confirm the properties are really gone?
Yes. Open the downloaded file in any PDF viewer and look at its document properties or information panel — the fields will be empty. The XMP block is removed from the bytes of the file, not merely detached from it.
Is the file uploaded to strip it?
No. The rewrite happens in a worker inside your browser. You can open the network panel, run the tool, and watch that no request carries the document. It also works with the network switched off entirely.
How is this different from printing to PDF to clean a file?
Printing to a new PDF flattens the document: it rasterises or rebuilds the pages, which loses selectable text quality, bookmarks, links and form fields. This edits only the metadata and leaves the pages exactly as they were.
Worth reading about Remove PDF Metadata
- Preparing a scanned document to sendA scan hides text you cannot see and metadata you did not add. What to check, and in what order, before a scanned document leaves your hands.
- A black box is not redactionA black rectangle drawn over a name leaves the name in the file. Learn how PDF redaction really works, how leaks happen, and how to check your own document.
- Are online PDF tools safe?Most PDF sites upload your document to a server. Four checks that tell you what a tool really does with your file, without taking anyone's word for it.
- PDF work for HR teamsHiring and personnel paperwork is dense with personal data. How to bundle, redact and share it without creating a data-protection problem for yourself.