How to see and remove the author name and hidden details in a PDF

Drop the PDF into PDF metadata and its author, title, dates and the apps that made it appear straight away. To clean it, choose Remove, then Everything or Choose to tick single fields, and press Download clean copy. Pages, text, links and form fields stay as they were.

Steps

1. Open PDF metadata and choose a PDF. It opens on your device and shows page one.
2. Read its properties under View. Author, title, dates, the creating apps and any XMP metadata appear under plain headings, with names of people and companies marked. You also see the page count and whether the file is encrypted or digitally signed. Nothing changes while you look.
3. To clean it, switch to Remove and choose Everything, or Choose and tick only the fields you want gone.
4. To change values instead, switch to Edit and type a new title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer or dates. Empty a field to remove it.
5. Press Download clean copy (or Download edited copy after editing). The new copy is opened again to check what it holds and that the page count is unchanged.

What a PDF can say about you

Word processors fill in a PDF's document properties without asking, so a CV, an invoice or a contract can carry more than the pages show.

A CV whose Author field shows a former employer's account name, or a quote whose Modified date gives away a late rewrite, are the kinds of slips worth a quick check before sending.

Remove or edit?

• Remove everything before sending a document to someone outside your organisation. When you remove everything, old copies of the properties left behind by earlier saves go too, not only the current ones.
• Remove chosen fields when you want to keep a sensible title but drop the author.
• Edit when the details are wrong rather than private, such as a title copied from an old template. The values go into the document properties and, when the PDF has XMP metadata, into that too, so every reader shows the same thing. What you type is saved as is, including the Producer.

What it does not touch

Names inside the document itself are content, not metadata. Text on the page, comments and tracked changes carried over from a word processor are left alone. Search the document text for your name if that matters.

Signed and protected PDFs

Digitally signed PDF. Any change, including removing metadata, means the signature no longer verifies. The tool warns you when a PDF is signed. If the signature matters, check it first and send the signed original unchanged.

Password-protected PDF. It can be viewed but not changed, because its contents are encrypted. Unlock it with Unlock PDF using the password you know, change the unlocked copy, then lock it again with Protect PDF if needed.

Questions

How do I remove only the author?

Choose Remove, then Choose, and tick just the Author fields.

Will removing metadata change my pages?

No. Pages, text, images, links and form fields stay, and the new copy is checked to have the same page count.

Can I check photo metadata here too?

Photos have their own page: Image metadata reads JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC and AVIF and can remove location data.

Is the PDF uploaded to read its metadata?

No. It is read, cleaned and edited in your browser and never leaves your device.