PDF Metadata Remover

What is PDF metadata?

A PDF stores its hidden information in two places: the Info dictionary (title, author, subject, keywords, dates, and the software that produced the file) and an XMP metadata stream, an XML block holding the same data and often more. Word processors fill these fields in automatically, so an exported document routinely contains the full name on your operating system account or your office suite license. Anyone who opens the file properties can read it.

How do I remove the author name from a PDF?

Drop the file above. The tool lists every populated field it finds, including Author and Creator, then rewrites the document without them. It deletes the Info dictionary and the XMP stream whole rather than blanking their values, so the cleaned file no longer even declares the fields. As a final check it re-parses its own output and reports what a metadata scanner would still find: zero fields.

Can I remove PDF metadata without uploading the file?

Yes, and that is the point of this page. Most online PDF cleaners send your document to their servers and typically store it there for an hour or more before deleting it. This tool parses and rewrites the PDF with JavaScript on your own machine. You can check that claim: open your browser's DevTools Network tab and clean a file. The only request you might see is the site's own tiny analytics ping; your document is never part of any request. That matters when the file is a contract, a CV, or a manuscript.

What does this tool remove, and what stays?

Removed: the document Info dictionary, XMP metadata streams, app-private PieceInfo blocks that programs like InDesign and Photoshop hide in the file, and the trailer file ID that can link a cleaned copy back to the original. Untouched: the visible content. Pages, text, images, links, and form fields come through intact. Two limits to know about: password-protected PDFs must be unlocked before cleaning, and images embedded in the PDF keep their own EXIF data. For the photos themselves, use the Image Metadata Stripper, the same idea for JPEG and PNG files.

Is it legal to remove metadata from a PDF?

Yes. Cleaning metadata from a document you own is normal practice, not tampering. Law firms and government agencies scrub outgoing files as routine policy, and leftover metadata has embarrassed both more than once. The exception is a file you are required to preserve unaltered, for example under a legal hold. In that case clean a copy and keep the original.