What PDF metadata contains
Every PDF can carry a set of document properties that never appear on the page: a title, the author's name, a subject line, keywords, the application that created the document and the engine that wrote the PDF. Word processors fill these in automatically, so a contract exported from Word often names the person who owned the software licence rather than the person who signed it.
Newer files add a second layer, an XMP packet written as XML, where the same values are repeated alongside dates, document identifiers and sometimes the full editing history. This tool shows both layers side by side. Photos carry the same kind of hidden data under a different name, which you can inspect with the EXIF viewer.
Fields you can edit
| Field | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Title | Shown in the browser tab and in the reader's window title instead of the file name. Search engines index it for PDFs published on the web. |
| Author | The person or organisation credited with the document. Often pre-filled with the Windows or macOS account name. |
| Subject | A one-line description. Document management systems display it in listings. |
| Keywords | Comma-separated terms used by desktop search and archive software to find the file. |
| Creator | The application the document was written in, for example a word processor or a design tool. |
| Producer | The library or printer driver that turned the document into a PDF. |
| Created / Modified | Timestamps are shown for reference. Saving your edits updates the modification date; the creation date is kept. |
How to edit PDF metadata
- Select a PDF. The document properties, custom properties and the XMP packet are read and displayed at once.
- Change any of the six standard fields. Clear a field to drop it from the file entirely.
- Click Download with new metadata. If the file had an XMP packet, it is rewritten so both layers agree.
- To publish a document without any trace of who made it, click Remove all metadata instead and download the cleaned copy.
Removing metadata before sharing
Metadata leaks names, company software and working dates that the visible text never mentions. Removing it is worth doing before a PDF goes to a client, a journalist or a public website. The cleaned file keeps its pages, fonts, links and bookmarks; only the properties and the XMP packet are gone.
Reading and rewriting happen in your browser, and the cleaned copy is created on your device. How uploads and usage data are handled in general is described in the privacy policy. If the PDF was built from photos, run the images through Remove EXIF first, since embedded pictures keep their own camera data.
What this tool does not change
The visible content is left untouched: no text is edited, no page is removed, and annotations, form fields and digital signatures stay in place. Removing metadata from a signed PDF does, however, invalidate the signature, because the file bytes change.
Password-protected PDFs cannot be read here. Open them with Unlock PDF first. Metadata is a small part of a PDF, so the file size barely moves; if size is the problem, Compress PDF is the tool for that.