This tool shows you every piece of hidden metadata inside a PDF and strips it with one click — free, in your browser, and the file never leaves your device. Every PDF carries invisible data: open any file's properties dialog and you will find fields like Author, Creator, Producer, and timestamps — information that most people never think about but that anyone with the file can read. A contract sent to a client reveals which employee drafted it and what software your company uses. A report shared publicly leaks the creation date and modification history.
Our PDF Metadata Viewer lets you see exactly what is hiding inside your document, then strip it all in one click. The entire operation runs in your browser. The file never leaves your device.
What metadata do PDFs contain?
The PDF specification defines an information dictionary that can store these standard fields:
- Title — the document title, often auto-filled by the creating application.
- Author — the name of the person or account that created the file.
- Subject — a brief description of the document's topic.
- Keywords — search terms associated with the file.
- Creator — the application that originally created the content (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LaTeX).
- Producer — the library or tool that converted the content into PDF format (e.g., macOS Quartz, Adobe PDF Library, pdf-lib).
- CreationDate — when the PDF was first created.
- ModDate — when the PDF was last modified.
Beyond these standard fields, PDF authoring tools can embed arbitrary custom properties. Enterprise document management systems frequently add internal identifiers, workflow states, and department codes. Scanning devices may embed model numbers, firmware versions, and in some cases GPS coordinates.
Why metadata matters for privacy
Metadata is the simplest form of data leakage. Unlike the visible content of a page, metadata is easy to overlook and easy to extract. Command-line tools like exiftool and pdfinfo can dump every field in seconds. Even most PDF viewers expose it through a "Document Properties" menu.
Common scenarios where metadata creates risk:
- Whistleblowing or anonymous reporting. If you share a document anonymously but the Author field contains your name, the anonymity is broken.
- Legal discovery. Timestamps and author fields can establish who created a document and when, which may be relevant in disputes.
- Competitive intelligence. The Creator and Producer fields reveal what software stack your organization uses.
- Personal safety. GPS metadata in scanned documents can reveal physical locations.
Stripping metadata before sharing a document is one of the simplest privacy steps you can take, and it costs nothing — the visible content of the document is completely unchanged.
How our tool works
The tool uses pdf-lib, a JavaScript library that parses and manipulates PDF structure directly in memory. When you upload a file:
- Parse. The PDF is loaded into memory and its cross-reference table is read to locate all objects, including the information dictionary.
- Extract. Each standard metadata field is read from the information dictionary. Custom fields are also enumerated. The results are displayed in a table.
- Flag. Fields that carry privacy risk (Author, Creator, Producer, timestamps) are highlighted so you can see at a glance whether the document leaks identifying information.
- Strip. When you click "Strip All Metadata," every field in the information dictionary is cleared. A new PDF is generated with empty metadata and downloaded to your device.
The entire process runs in your browser tab. No network requests are made. You can verify this by opening your browser's developer tools and watching the Network tab while the tool runs — you will see zero outbound requests.
Common questions about PDF metadata
Does stripping metadata break digital signatures? If the PDF is digitally signed, modifying any part of the file (including metadata) will invalidate the signature. This is by design — digital signatures are meant to detect any change. Strip metadata before signing, not after.
Can I selectively remove some fields but keep others? The current version strips all fields at once. Selective stripping is on our roadmap. In the meantime, if you need to keep certain fields, note them before stripping and re-add them using a PDF editor.
What about XMP metadata? PDF files can contain metadata in two places: the information dictionary (which our tool handles) and an XMP metadata stream (an XML-based format). Our tool currently targets the information dictionary, which covers the most common fields. XMP support is planned for a future update.