PDF metadata

A PDF records who wrote it, which software produced it, when it was created and modified, and often the full path of the source file on someone's machine. None of that appears on any page, which is why it survives being shared. This tool reads every entry, lets you change any of them, and can clear the lot before you save a copy.

How it works

  1. Open the PDF Drop the file onto the page. Every metadata field it carries is listed as it is now.
  2. Read what is there Title, author, subject, keywords, producer, creator and both dates. Anything that looks like a local path or a personal name is flagged as worth removing.
  3. Edit or clear Change any field, or clear everything at once.
  4. Compare A before and after table shows exactly what changes when you save.
  5. Save the copy A new PDF is written with the metadata you chose. The original file on your disk is untouched.

Questions

What personal information does a PDF actually carry?
Usually the author name from the account that made it, the producer and creator strings naming the software and version, and creation and modification timestamps. Files exported from desktop applications often also carry the full local path of the source document, which can include a username.
Does clearing metadata remove everything?
It clears the document information dictionary, which is where the fields shown here live. A PDF can also carry an XMP metadata stream, and some producers write the same values into both. The tool says which of the two it cleared rather than claiming a guarantee it cannot make.
Is the original file changed?
No. A new document is written and handed to you as a download, and the file on your disk is untouched. Nothing is uploaded at any point, because the whole thing runs in your browser tab.

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