Read the guide
Hidden data in a file you are about to send
Check a photo, a PDF, and a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file for hidden fields, then download a copy with those fields removed before you send it.
Remove PDF Metadata
Remove PDF metadata before you share a file: the author, the apps that made it, the dates, and the XMP stream that often repeats them. You see what the file carried first, and the clean copy is ready right away.
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Your PDF
Choose a PDF or drop it here. One PDF, up to 100 MB.
What is removed
- Title, author, subject, and keywords
- The apps that created and wrote the file
- Creation and modification dates
- The XMP metadata stream, which often repeats these and adds editing history
Pages, text, images, links, and bookmarks stay as they are. The clean file is ready as soon as the PDF is read.
Metadata found
What the PDF says about itself will appear here
- Choose or drop a PDF on the left
- See what it carried
- Download the clean copy
Files
How to strip metadata from a PDF
- Choose a PDF or drop it on the box.
- Read the table: the Before column shows what the file says about itself.
- The clean copy is made at once. The After column shows every field removed.
- Download it. The file ends in
-clean.pdf.
How it works
The tool opens the PDF with pdf-lib and removes three things:
- the Info dictionary, which holds Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, and the creation and modification dates;
- every XMP metadata stream, on the document and on single pages. XMP is XML that design and office apps fill with names, tools, and sometimes editing history;
- PieceInfo data that some apps leave behind to reopen the file in their own format.
Those objects are removed from the saved file so the old values cannot sit unused in the bytes. Page content is copied as it is.
A measured PDF metadata example
In a controlled test, a synthetic one-page PDF carried all eight Info fields plus two XMP streams: one on the document and one on the page. Its title was Synthetic title fixture and its author was Synthetic author fixture; these are test labels, not personal records.
| Check | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Filled Info fields | 8 | 0 |
| XMP streams | 2 | 0 |
| File size | 2,233 bytes | 771 bytes |
The test called the same metadata functions used by this tool. The saved page-content stream kept the same SHA-256 hash. That confirms preservation of that stream in this fixture; it does not certify every PDF or remove visible names, embedded-image EXIF, comments or attachments. Metadata is often a small part of a real document, so size reduction varies.
For photos and Office files alongside a PDF, follow the guide to checking hidden data before sharing a file.
Limitations
- Names and dates written on the pages themselves, such as a signature line or a header, are part of the content and stay.
- Metadata inside embedded images (for example EXIF in a photo) is not changed. Clean photos with the Image Metadata Remover before putting them in a PDF.
- Password-protected PDFs can't be opened.
Frequently asked questions
What metadata does a PDF contain?
Usually the title, the author's name, the app that created the document, the software that wrote the PDF, and the dates it was created and last changed. Many files also have an XMP block with the same details and sometimes an editing history.
Does removing metadata change how my PDF looks?
No. Only the properties are removed. Pages, text, images, links, and bookmarks are copied unchanged.
Why is the clean PDF only a little smaller?
Metadata is usually a few hundred bytes to a few kilobytes. The rest of the file is the pages, which stay the same.
Can I clean Word files too?
Yes, with the Document Metadata Remover, which handles DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, and OpenDocument files.
How can I check that PDF metadata was removed?
Read the Before and After table, download the clean copy, and open that copy in this tool again. The eight displayed Info fields should be empty and detected document/page XMP streams absent. Check visible names, comments, attachments and embedded images separately; those are not certified by this table.
Related tools
Often used together with PDF Metadata Remover.
PDF Metadata Editor
Edits a PDF's title, author, subject, keywords, apps, and dates.
Document Metadata Remover
Shows and clears author, company, dates, and custom properties in Office files.
Image Metadata RemoverImage Tools
Shows and removes EXIF, GPS, XMP, and IPTC data from JPG, PNG, and WebP files.