Remove Metadata From PDF Files in Your Browser
This PDF metadata remover clears the author, title, software names and dates from a PDF. Your browser does the work, so the file never leaves your device.
The PDF Info dictionary and catalog Metadata stream.
What this PDF metadata remover clears
A PDF stores document properties next to its pages. Apps fill them in when you create or save the file. This tool removes two property records.
Removed from your copy
- TitleThe document title. It can differ from the file name and show an old draft name.
- AuthorOften your account name or the name of whoever made the first draft.
- Subject and keywordsFree text that an app or a person typed into the properties.
- CreatorThe app that made the original document, such as a word processor.
- ProducerThe software that wrote the PDF, often with a version number.
- Creation and modification datesWhen the file was first made and last saved, often with a time zone.
- Document XMPAn XML copy of these properties. It can also hold tool names, document IDs and edit history.
Kept
- Every page, with its visible text and images
- Links, bookmarks, comments and annotations
- Form fields and the values typed into them
- Attached and embedded files
- Your original file, unchanged
This is not redaction. Names, numbers and comments that you can see or open in the PDF stay in the copy.
How to remove metadata from a PDF
The tool reads the file, rewrites it without the property records, and checks the result.
Add your PDFs
Drop the PDFs you plan to send, such as a resume or a contract. Add up to 10, each up to 15 MB.
Read the scan
The tool names each record it found: the document properties, the document XMP, or both.
Remove and download
Click Remove PDF metadata on each document. The tool checks the new copy before you can download it.
What happens to your PDF
- Your browser opens the PDF with the pdf-lib library.
- It deletes the document properties and the document XMP stream.
- It saves the whole file again as one new version.
- Old unused data from earlier saves can stay in the copy.
- It reads the new copy. If a property record remains, you get no download.
- The tool does not add its own name to the copy.
Which apps write PDF properties
Each app fills in different fields. Versions and settings change the result, so treat this as a guide.
| Source | What it may write | Stored in |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Word export | The document title and author, plus the app name | Properties, XMP |
| Google Docs and browser print to PDF | The document title and the name of the PDF engine | Properties |
| macOS Preview and print to PDF | The app name and a macOS producer string | Properties |
| Adobe Acrobat and InDesign | Author, dates, tool names, document IDs and edit history | Properties, XMP |
| Scanners and scan apps | The scanner software name and the scan date | Properties |
| Online converters and code libraries | The converter or library name in the producer field | Properties |
| AI writing and chat tools | The export tool name, when the tool sets one | Properties |
Check your own file. The scan in the tool shows which records are really there.
- Info dictionary
- The record that holds the PDF document properties, such as title, author and dates.
- XMP
- An XML metadata format from Adobe. A PDF can store it as a stream linked to the whole document.
- Creator and producer
- Creator names the app that made the document. Producer names the software that wrote the PDF.
- Incremental save
- Some apps add changes to the end of a PDF. Older data can stay in the file.
What PDF metadata removal does not cover
Document properties are only one place where a PDF can hold personal details. Review these before you share.
Visible text
Names, emails and numbers on the page stay. Use a redaction tool to remove text from the page.
Comments and form fields
Comment authors, replies and typed form values stay in the copy.
Attachments
Files attached to the PDF stay, with their own metadata.
Images inside the PDF
A photo placed in the PDF keeps its own EXIF or XMP. Clean photos before you add them.
Image metadata removerDigital signatures
A signature covers the exact bytes of the file. The rewrite can make a signature show as invalid.
Encrypted PDFs
The tool does not open encrypted PDFs. This includes files that open freely but limit printing or editing.
Other things the tool leaves alone
- Older saved data. A PDF saved in steps can hold old copies of the properties as unused data. The copy can still contain them, and the check does not look for them.
- Other XMP streams. XMP linked to a page or an image, not the whole document, stays.
- The file ID. The PDF identifier in the file trailer stays, when the file has one. It is a code, not a name.
- Fonts and scripts. Font names, page labels and any JavaScript in the PDF stay.
Why use this PDF metadata remover
No upload
Your browser reads and rewrites each PDF on your device. Files do not go to a server.
Scan first
The scan names each property record in the PDF before you change anything.
Checked before download
The tool reads the new copy. A leftover property record blocks the download.
Pages stay the same
Text, images, links and form fields are not redrawn or flattened.
Ten documents per batch
Add 10 PDFs to one batch and clean each in turn. Then save them as one ZIP.
Free, no account
No sign-up, and no stamp or footer is added to your pages. Your original PDF stays unchanged.
Who removes metadata from PDF files
Job seekers
Remove an old author name or template title from a resume before you apply.
Lawyers and paralegals
Clear the author and dates from a document before it goes to the other side. Redact text separately.
Freelancers and agencies
Send client files without your account name or internal draft titles.
Teachers and students
Share handouts or assignments without the account name of the person who wrote them.
Writers and researchers
Remove your name from a draft before blind or anonymous review.
Privacy-minded senders
Check what a form or letter says about you before you email it.
When to use the PDF metadata remover
Use it when
- You want to remove the author from a PDF before you send it.
- A PDF shows an old title, a software name or a date you do not want to share.
- You need several PDFs cleaned without uploading them anywhere.
- You want to know which property records a PDF holds before you clean it.
Use another tool when
- Your file is a photoImage metadata remover
- Your file is an MP4 or MOV videoVideo metadata remover
- You only want to read a photo’s fieldsImage metadata viewer
- You want AI records gone from an imageAI metadata remover
- You want to remove location from a photoRemove GPS from photo
Files and limits
| Input | PDF files only. |
|---|---|
| File size | Up to 15 MB each. |
| Batch | Up to 10 files. Download each copy or one ZIP. |
| Removed | Document properties (Info dictionary) and the document XMP stream. |
| Kept | Pages, text, images, links, bookmarks, comments, form fields and attachments. |
| Not supported | Encrypted or password-protected PDFs. |
| Signatures | Saving can make a digital signature show as invalid. |
| Processing | In your browser with pdf-lib. Your original stays unchanged. |
| Price | Free. No account. |
PDF metadata remover questions
Using the tool
How do I remove metadata from a PDF?
Drop the PDF into the tool and read the scan. Click Remove PDF metadata, then download the checked copy.
Is this PDF metadata remover free?
Yes. There is no account or payment, and nothing is stamped on your pages.
Are my PDFs uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is rewritten inside your browser, so a contract or resume never leaves your device. The network panel in your browser shows no upload.
Can I remove metadata from many PDFs at once?
Yes. A batch takes 10 PDFs, and each one needs its own Remove PDF metadata click. Save each cleaned document, or one ZIP for all of them.
Why does my PDF fail to open in the tool?
The tool rejects encrypted PDFs and files over 15 MB. Remove the password in the app that set it, if you have the right to.
What it removes
What metadata does a PDF contain?
A PDF can hold a title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer and two dates. Many also hold an XMP copy of these fields.
How do I remove the author from a PDF?
Use this tool. It deletes the author field together with the other document properties. You cannot keep some fields and remove others.
Does it remove metadata from images inside the PDF?
No. Photos placed in the PDF keep their own metadata. Clean them with the image metadata remover before you build the PDF.
Does removing metadata change how the PDF looks?
No. Pages, text and images stay as they were. Your PDF reader may show the file name in place of the missing title.
Can it remove AI metadata from a PDF?
It removes any AI tool name stored in the properties or the document XMP. Page XMP, attachments and older saved data stay.
Hidden data and redaction
Does it remove all hidden information?
No. Comments, form values, attachments, scripts and older saved data can stay. Acrobat Pro and similar editors offer a broader clean-up command.
Is removing metadata the same as redaction?
No. Redaction removes text or images from the page. This tool only removes document properties.
Will it break a digital signature?
It can. The tool saves a new file, so a signature may show as invalid. Remove metadata before you sign.
Can I remove PDF metadata without a tool?
Some PDF editors let you clear the properties by hand. ExifTool also works, but it adds changes to the file and can leave old values readable.
Clean your next PDF
Drop a PDF, see which property records it holds, and download a checked copy.