Strip the author name, title, creator and producer software, dates and the hidden XMP packet from any PDF. Drop a file below to clean it in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
A PDF describes itself in two places. The first is the document information dictionary, a short list of named entries near the end of the file: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate and ModDate. The second is an XMP metadata stream, an XML packet in Adobe's Extensible Metadata Platform format that repeats the same fields and often adds more: an edit history naming the software behind every save, document identifiers, and application-specific blocks left by InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop.
Almost none of it is typed in on purpose. Word copies the name from its user settings into Author. Acrobat, Preview, browsers and print drivers write their own product names and version numbers into Creator and Producer. A company name arrives the same way from Office's Company field. That is how a résumé built from a downloaded template ends up crediting the template's author, and how a "final" contract reveals that it was last modified after the date on the signature page.
Each field tells a reader something specific. Author and Creator answer who and with what. Producer names the converter, which often gives away the operating system. The two dates show when the work started and when it was really finished. Keywords and Subject can expose internal project names. The XMP packet can hold all of that plus every intermediate save.
A CV made from a template can carry the template author's name, and a creation date years in the past says it has been recycled. A clean copy shows only what is on the page.
Opposing counsel reads document properties. Author names, firm names and revision timestamps in a brief or a produced exhibit are the classic way drafting details leak.
A file sent from a throwaway account can still name you in Author or in the XMP history of the software that produced it. Strip it before sending, and remember that the wording itself can identify you too.
Search engines index PDFs together with their Author and Creator fields. Remove staff names and internal tool names before a report, a price list or a manual goes public.
Modification dates show how long a proposal took, and Creator reveals which tools you pay for. Clean the file before it leaves the company.
Drag a PDF onto the box above or click to browse. Your browser opens the file locally; it is not sent to a server.
The tool lists every document info entry, the two dates and whether an XMP stream is present. Untick anything you want to keep, for example the dates on an archived record.
Click "Remove metadata & download". A copy named clean_yourfile.pdf is saved to your device, and the Before / After table shows the values read back from that new file. The original is left untouched.
Metadata is the part of the file that describes the document. Everything that is part of the document itself stays exactly as it was.
Desktop apps can do it too, but the command is rarely where you expect it, and the free Acrobat Reader has no such command at all. This is where the option lives in each tool.
| Tool | How to remove metadata | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | All tools → Redact a PDF → Sanitize document. Choose "Remove all" to strip metadata, comments and file attachments in one pass, or "Selectively remove" to pick items. To edit instead of strip, open File → Properties (Ctrl+D / Cmd+D), use the Description tab, and the "Additional Metadata" button for the XMP fields. | Paid. Sanitize document and Remove Hidden Information are Acrobat Pro features. |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) | No Sanitize or Remove Hidden Information command. Those live in Acrobat Pro. | Use this tool or a paid editor instead. |
| macOS Preview | No command to edit or clear Title, Author, Creator or Producer. Tools → Show Inspector only lets you add or remove keywords. Workaround: File → Print → PDF → Save as PDF writes a brand-new file; leave the Title, Author, Subject and Keywords fields in the save dialog empty. | Free, built in. The print route re-renders the pages, so links and form fields are lost and the file is stamped as produced by macOS. |
| Microsoft Word | Before exporting: File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document, tick "Document Properties and Personal Information", click Inspect, then Remove All. When saving as PDF, choose Options in the "Publish as PDF or XPS" window and clear "Document properties". | Free with Office. Cleans the source document; check the exported PDF with the metadata viewer. |
| This tool | Drop the file above, keep the three boxes ticked and click "Remove metadata & download". | Free, in-browser, page content and links untouched. The After column is read back from the new file. |
The PDF metadata viewer shows every property, both dates, page count and file size without changing the file. Check a document before and after cleaning it.
Open the metadata viewerNeed to lock a filled form before sending? Flatten the PDF