What is PDF metadata?

PDF metadata is what a PDF says about itself: its title, author, subject and keywords, the app that created the document, the program that made the PDF, and when it was created and last changed. PDF viewers show it in the document properties, and search engines and document libraries use the title and keywords. It can also give away more than you meant to share, such as your name or the software you use.

Tool description

This tool shows the document properties of a PDF and lets you change or clear them. Load a PDF, edit the fields or press Remove all metadata, then download the edited copy. The PDF is read and saved in your browser and is never uploaded.

Features

  • Edit the title, author, subject, keywords, application, PDF producer and the created and modified dates
  • Clear every field at once with Remove all metadata
  • Updates the XMP metadata too, so every viewer shows the new values
  • Keeps the pages, links, bookmarks and form fields as they are
  • Works with text in any language, such as Cyrillic or Japanese

How it works

A PDF can keep its properties in two places: the document information dictionary, which every viewer reads, and an XMP metadata packet, which newer viewers prefer. The tool saves your values to both. When the PDF has an XMP packet, it is rebuilt with just these fields, so old values and editing history stored in it are gone too. A PDF/A or PDF/UA file keeps the part of the packet that says which standard it follows.

An empty field removes that property, and with every field empty the information dictionary is removed altogether. Dates are shown and saved in your time zone. A date you don't change stays exactly as it was written.

Tips

  • A PDF with a password can't be edited. Remove the password with the PDF Password Remover first.
  • Editing a digitally signed PDF makes its signature invalid.
  • Metadata inside embedded images, such as the camera details of a photo, isn't changed.