Remove Metadata from PDF: what it does
A PDF carries more than its pages. Most files store the author’s name (often the name on the computer that made it), the app and version used, the date and time it was created and last changed, and a title that is often the original file name. Many also hold a hidden XMP block that repeats all of this and adds an editing history, names on comments, attachments, and earlier versions of edited parts when changes were saved on top of the old file. Drop your PDFs here to see what each one contains, then download clean copies. The author, apps, dates, XMP, app editing data and comment names are removed, and earlier saved versions are left out. Pages, text, fonts and images are copied unchanged, so the PDF looks exactly the same. Everything happens in your browser: the files are never uploaded, which is the point when the PDF is a contract, a CV or a report.
How to use it
- Drop one or more PDFs into the box, or tap to choose them.
- Read what each PDF reveals: author, title, apps, dates, XMP metadata, comment names, attachments and earlier saved versions.
- Choose whether to keep the title and remove names from comments. Open “All fields” for every value.
- Download each clean copy, or all of them as one ZIP. The pages themselves are copied unchanged.
Tips
- Exported from Word? The author is usually the name on your computer’s account, and the title is often the original file name. Check both before you send a CV or a report.
- Tick “Keep the title” only if the title is what you want readers to see: PDF readers can show it in the window or tab instead of the file name.
- Signed PDFs: removing metadata (or making any change) invalidates a digital signature. Send the signed original when the signature matters.
- Attachments inside a PDF are content, not metadata, so they stay. The tool lists them so you can remove them in a PDF app if needed.
- Clean the PDF last, after your final edit: saving it again in Word, Acrobat or a printer driver adds new metadata.
Frequently asked questions
What does PDF metadata contain?
Usually the title, author, subject, keywords, the app that created the file and the one that made the PDF, and the created and modified dates with a time zone. Many PDFs also contain XMP metadata, which repeats these and can add document IDs and an editing history.
Does removing metadata change how the PDF looks?
No. Pages, text, fonts and images are copied as they are; only metadata is left out. The file is often smaller. One exception to know: PDFs saved from Illustrator or Photoshop lose the app’s private editing data, so keep your original if you want to reopen it there with layers.
Can I remove metadata from a password-protected PDF?
No. Its details are encrypted, so they can’t be read or removed without the password. Remove the protection in a PDF app first, then clean it here.
Are comments removed?
No, the comments and highlights stay. With “Remove names from comments” ticked, the names and dates on them are removed, so they no longer show who wrote them.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The PDF is read and rewritten by your browser on your device. Nothing is sent to our servers; you can check it by switching on airplane mode after the page has loaded.