Remove Metadata from a PDF
A PDF can carry document properties that are easy to overlook when a file is shared: an author name, a project title, a subject, keywords, or the software that created it. This sanitizer clears the standard document information fields and gives you a new copy. It does not claim to remove every hidden object, attachment, annotation, signature, or XMP packet, so the result explains its boundary instead of promising forensic erasure.
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Add to Chrome — freeWhat it does
- Clears standard PDF document information fields
- Removes title, author, subject, keywords, creator, and producer values
- Processes the PDF in the browser
- Leaves the original file unchanged
- Reports an honest limit instead of claiming complete forensic sanitization
How to use PDF Metadata Sanitizer
- 1
Choose the PDF
Drop the document into the sanitizer. The browser loads it in memory and does not send it to a server.
- 2
Clear standard properties
The tool rewrites a new PDF after clearing the common document information fields.
- 3
Review the scope
Read the notice about attachments, annotations, signatures, embedded files, and XMP before treating the output as clean.
- 4
Download the sanitized copy
Save the new PDF and keep the original until you have opened the output and confirmed it still works for your workflow.
How it works
The sanitizer clears the common document information dictionary fields on our server and writes a new PDF with the original pages preserved. The file is uploaded to do that and deleted within thirty minutes; the original on your disk is not changed. If a document is sensitive enough that the upload itself is the problem, exiftool -all= file.pdf does the same job on your own machine. The before-and-after size is reported because rewriting a document can change object packing even when the visible pages stay the same.
Why PDF metadata matters
The visible page is only one layer of a PDF. Alongside pages and fonts, a file can contain a document information dictionary with fields such as title, author, subject, keywords, creator, and producer. Office suites, design applications, scanner software, and reporting libraries may fill those values automatically. They are useful inside a team and easy to forget when a copy is sent outside it.
Metadata is not automatically dangerous. A title can help someone find a document, an author can establish responsibility, and a producer field can help diagnose a rendering problem. The right reason to remove it is control: you are sharing a copy with a recipient who does not need those properties, or you are publishing a document whose editing history and software stack should not be part of the handoff.
What this sanitizer changes
The tool loads the PDF, clears the standard fields, and writes a new copy with object streams enabled. It does not rasterize pages, add a watermark, or upload the file. It reports the page count and before/after sizes so you can tell what happened. The output may be smaller, similar, or slightly larger because rewriting a PDF changes its object packing; file size is not the definition of a successful metadata cleanup.
The visible page remains visible. A name in a header, a GPS coordinate printed on a map, an account number in a table, or a signature drawn into the page is content, not a document property. Removing metadata cannot redact it. Use the PDF redactor for deliberate page regions and open the output to verify that sensitive information is actually covered.
The boundary is deliberate
There is no single safe claim called “remove all PDF metadata.” PDFs can carry XMP XML, attachments, embedded files, annotations, form values, JavaScript actions, bookmarks, signatures, and application-specific objects. Some of those are important to preserve; some need a specialized security inspection. This page clears the common standard fields and names the rest so a clean-looking download is not mistaken for a complete forensic scrub.
Keep the original until you have checked the sanitized copy in the software that will receive it. Digital signatures may no longer validate after any rewrite, interactive forms or unusual annotations may need review, and a regulated disclosure may require a documented sanitization process beyond this browser utility.
Examples
Sharing a project draft
The visible pages are kept, while the common properties that identify the document or creating software are removed.
Sending an exported report
The file remains a PDF report; sanitizing its standard properties does not remove visible names printed on the pages.
Frequently asked questions
What PDF metadata does this tool remove?
It clears the standard title, author, subject, keywords, creator, and producer fields exposed by the PDF document information dictionary. It does not promise to remove every possible XMP packet, attachment, annotation, form value, bookmark, signature, or visible text.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No — and how it works changed on 2026-08-26. The file is sent to Prathom's own server, processed there, and deleted the moment the response is sent; nothing is stored and no account is needed. It used to run inside the browser tab, which was slower, capped by the memory that tab had, and — for several of these tools — produced worse output. Your original file is never modified — the sanitized copy is a new download.
Does removing metadata remove names printed on the page?
No. Metadata is separate from visible page content. If a name, address, account number, or signature appears on a page, use a proper redaction workflow and verify the redaction is permanent before sharing with anyone.
Does this remove PDF attachments and hidden files?
Not completely. The tool is limited to standard document information fields. Inspect attachments, annotations, embedded files, scripts, and XMP with a specialized PDF inspection workflow when that distinction matters for your disclosure and compliance review.
Further reading
- A Black Box Over the Text Removed Nothing At AllCovering words with a black rectangle is what every general-purpose PDF editor makes easy, and it is the single most common way confidential documents leak. The rectangle is drawn on top. The words are still underneath it, in the file, and any extractor will hand them back in full.
- Stripping Camera, Lens and GPS Data Saved Eighteen Bytes"Strip the metadata to make the file smaller" is advice that has been repeated for twenty years, and on the fields people actually worry about it is worth almost nothing. That does not make stripping pointless — it makes the reason for doing it a different one.
- What Your Photos Are CarryingA photograph is not only a picture. Attached to it is a small database your camera wrote — the model, the settings, the moment, and very often the coordinates. Most of it is harmless and some of it is useful. The problem is that it travels silently.