View and edit PDF metadata
Drop a PDF and its document information is read out straight away: title, author, subject, keywords, the application that made it and when. Edit any of it and save a new copy, or clear everything in one tick before a file leaves your organisation.
How to use the PDF Metadata Editor
- Drop a PDF — the table shows what the file currently stores, and the boxes are filled in for you.
- Edit any field, or tick "Strip everything instead".
- Click Save metadata.
- Download the new PDF; page content is untouched.
What is in a PDF's document information
Every PDF may carry a small dictionary of descriptive fields. Title is what a reader shows in its window and title bar, and what many document systems index; a file called final_v7_FINAL.pdf with the title "Q3 board pack" presents far better. Author is a free-text name, not a verified identity. Subject is a one-line description and Keywords a comma-separated list, both used by search indexes. Creator records the application that authored the content (Word, InDesign, Chrome) and Producer the library that wrote the actual PDF. Creation and modification dates are stored too.
Why you might want to clear it
Metadata leaks more than people expect. Creator often names the software and sometimes the machine or template; Author is frequently the licensed user of the copy of Word that made the file, which may be a previous employee, a client, or a personal name you did not intend to publish. Before posting a tender response, a CV, a press release or a court document, it is worth looking at what the fields actually say. Ticking Strip everything clears title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer in one go.
The limits of this tool
PDFs can carry a second, parallel set of metadata: an XMP packet, an XML block used by Adobe applications and digital asset systems. This tool edits the classic document information dictionary. Where both exist, readers may prefer the XMP values, so a stubborn title showing after an edit is almost always XMP. The same applies to timestamps: creation and modification dates are left as they were rather than silently rewritten.
Metadata is not the only trace
Clearing these fields does not touch anything inside the pages — tracked changes exported into the content, a comment in a form field, text hidden under an image, or the name in a letterhead are all still there. Nor does it change the file name, which is usually the most revealing item of all.
Everything stays local
The file is parsed and rewritten in your browser with pdf-lib. Page content, fonts, images, links and form fields are copied through unchanged; only the information dictionary differs. That means an edit on a 50 MB document is as quick as on a one-page memo.
Frequently asked questions
Where does a PDF store its title and author?
In a document information dictionary in the file trailer, and sometimes also in an XMP metadata stream. This tool reads and writes the former.
Does clearing metadata make the document anonymous?
No. It removes the descriptive fields only. Names inside the page content, in form fields, in an XMP packet or in the file name itself remain.
Will editing metadata change the pages?
No. Page content, fonts, images and links are copied through untouched; only the information fields differ.
Why does my reader still show the old title?
It is probably reading an XMP metadata packet, which takes precedence in some applications. This tool edits the classic information dictionary.
Privacy
This tool runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly and the Canvas/File APIs. Your files are never uploaded to ToolFlint or any third party; you can verify this in your browser's network tab or by switching to airplane mode after the page loads. Read how we process files.
Last updated 2026-09-23.