See, remove or edit PDF metadata
Check a PDF's author, title, dates and the apps that made it. Nothing changes until you choose to remove or edit them. Pages and forms stay. Everything happens on your device.
Drop a PDF, or click to choose
Any PDF.
How it works
- Choose a PDF. The browser opens it on your device and shows page one.
- Read its properties. The document information (author, title, dates, the apps that made it) and the XMP metadata appear under plain headings, with names of people and companies marked. You also see the page count and whether it is encrypted or digitally signed. Nothing in the file changes while you look.
- Remove or edit, then download. Remove everything, or tick the fields to remove. Or edit the title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer and dates. The new copy is opened again to check what it holds and that the page count is unchanged.
What a PDF says about where it came from
Every PDF carries a set of document properties, and most people never look at them. Word processors fill them in for you, so a CV, an invoice or a contract can carry the name on the computer that wrote it, the company it belongs to, and the exact time it was saved.
| Property | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Author | Often your name, taken from your computer's user account |
| Title, Subject, Keywords | What the writer called the document, which may differ from the file name |
| Creator and Producer | The app that wrote it and the one that turned it into a PDF, with versions |
| Created and Modified | When it was made and last saved, with the time zone |
| XMP metadata | A second copy of the same details, plus document IDs and edit history |
What stays, and what to know first
- Every page, with its text, images, links and form fields, stays as it was.
- When you remove everything, old copies of the properties left behind by earlier saves are removed too, not only the current ones.
- When you edit, the values go into the document properties and, if the PDF has XMP metadata, into that too, so every reader shows the same thing.
- A password-protected PDF can be read but not changed. Unlock it with the password you know first.
- A digitally signed PDF will no longer verify after any change, this one included. Check the signature before you change it if it matters.
- Names inside the document itself (in the text, in comments or in tracked changes carried over from a word processor) are content, not metadata, and are not touched.
It runs in your browser
The PDF is read and rewritten on your device; it is never uploaded. That suits the documents people most want to check before sending: contracts, CVs, statements and anything with a name on it.
Related tools
- Photo metadata (EXIF) viewer: See a photo's camera, date and GPS data, then remove or edit it without re-encoding.
- Unlock PDF: Remove a password you know from a PDF.
- Verify PDF signature: Check who signed a PDF and whether it changed since.
- Compress PDF: Make a PDF smaller and compare page one before you download.
Common questions
How do I see who made a PDF?
Drop the PDF in. Its Author, Creator (the app that wrote it), Producer and dates appear at once, along with any XMP metadata.
How do I remove the author from a PDF?
Remove everything takes out the author along with every other property. To remove only the author, choose 'Choose' and tick just the Author fields.
Can I change a PDF's title or author?
Yes. Pick Edit and type the new title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer or dates. Empty a field to remove it. The copy updates as you type, and what you typed is saved as is.
Will removing or editing metadata change my PDF's pages?
No. Pages, text, images, links and form fields stay. The new copy is opened again to check that the page count is the same.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The PDF is read, cleaned and edited in your browser and never leaves your device.
Why can't I clean or edit a password-protected PDF?
Its contents are encrypted, so changing it needs the password. Unlock it with the Unlock PDF tool using the password you know, then change the unlocked copy.
What happens to a digital signature?
Any change to a signed PDF, including removing or editing metadata, means the signature no longer verifies. The tool warns you when a PDF is signed.
What is XMP metadata in a PDF?
XMP is a block of XML inside the PDF that repeats the document properties and can add more, such as document IDs and an edit history. The tool shows and removes it along with the regular properties, and when you edit a field it updates the XMP copy to match.
Can I view photo metadata here too?
Photos have their own page. Open the photo metadata viewer for JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC and AVIF photos; it works the same way and has more on what photos carry.
Is it free?
Yes. No sign-up, no limit and no watermark.