PDF Metadata Remover

Drop a PDF hereOn this page, the PDF is read in your browser and not uploaded.

What is not removed

This page clears the document's Info fields and its XMP metadata streams. It leaves these as they are:

Page text and images, including EXIF or GPS data inside embedded photos
Annotations and comments, and the author names attached to them
Form fields, bookmarks and links
Files embedded in the PDF
Hidden layers (optional content)
The document ID in the file trailer

How to remove metadata from a PDF

Drop the PDF on the page, or click to choose it

On this page it is read in your browser.
Read the list

Each Info field is shown with its value, and the XMP row says whether the file carries an XMP stream.
Untick anything you want to keep, then press Remove metadata
Check the before and after table, which is read back from the cleaned copy, and download it

Common uses

Sending a report or a proposal outside the company

The Author and Creator fields name the person and the software, and a draft title such as "v3 FINAL internal" often survives the export.

Submitting a paper for blind review

Review systems and editors ask for anonymous files. The Author field and the XMP creator are where a name usually hides.

Publishing a scanned or exported document

Scanner and printer software writes its model name and the scan time into Producer and CreationDate.

Re-using an old file as a template

A document built from an older PDF inherits its title, author and creation date, none of which belong to the new one.

What does a PDF say about where it came from?

A PDF carries a set of properties that never appear on the page. The Author field is filled from the account that made the file, Creator names the program it was written in, Producer names the library that turned it into a PDF, and two timestamps record when it was created and last changed. The XMP stream usually repeats all of that and adds document and instance identifiers. A file exported as "Q3 Report — DRAFT" by a named person in a named version of Word says so to anyone who opens its properties. PDF Metadata Remover shows you that list and gives you a copy without the fields you tick.

A PDF stores document metadata in two places. The Info dictionary, which the file's trailer points to, holds Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate and ModDate, plus any custom key a program added, such as Company. The XMP metadata stream is an XML packet attached to the document catalog; it usually repeats the same facts and adds identifiers and an editing history. Pages, images and fonts can carry XMP streams of their own.

PDF Metadata Remover lists every Info field the file carries, with its value, and says whether it has XMP. You choose which fields go. It deletes them from the Info dictionary, detaches every XMP stream when XMP metadata is ticked, and drops objects that nothing in the document uses any more, which is where an earlier author can survive after a file was edited and saved again. The before and after table is read back from the cleaned copy, not assumed. On this page the PDF is read and rewritten in your browser.

It does not change the content. Page text and images, annotations with their author names, form fields, attached files, hidden layers and the document ID in the trailer stay as they are. That makes it a metadata remover, not a forensic scrub. For a Word file use the DOCX Metadata Remover, and for the GPS and camera data inside a photo use the EXIF Remover. If the PDF is password-protected, remove the password with Unlock PDF first.

How it compares

Acrobat Pro can remove hidden information, but it is a paid desktop program. Many online removers upload the file first, which is an odd trade for a document you are trying to make less revealing. On this page the PDF is read and rewritten in your browser.

The difference that matters most is what you can see. This page lists every Info field with its value before anything is removed, lets you keep the ones you want, and shows a before and after table read back from the copy you download. It also says plainly what it leaves alone.

Tips

Open the cleaned copy in another program and save it, and that program writes its own Producer and dates again. Remove the metadata as the last step before you send the file.
The XMP stream often holds the same author as the Info fields. Removing only the Author field leaves the name in XMP, so keep XMP metadata ticked unless you need it.
A PDF/A file declares its conformance in XMP. The page warns you when it finds that declaration; untick XMP metadata to keep a PDF/A file valid.
Annotations keep their own author names. Flatten or delete comments in a PDF editor first if they matter.
An encrypted PDF has to be unlocked with its password before its metadata can be changed.

Frequently asked questions

What metadata does PDF Metadata Remover remove?

It removes the Info dictionary fields you tick: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, ModDate and any custom keys such as Company. With XMP metadata ticked it also removes every XMP stream, on the document and on its pages, images or fonts. Objects left over from earlier saves that the document no longer uses are dropped as well.

What does it not remove?

It does not change page text or images (including EXIF data inside embedded photos), annotations and the author names on them, form fields, bookmarks, attached files, hidden layers or the document ID in the file trailer. It is a metadata remover, not a forensic scrub. Review those parts in a PDF editor if they matter for your document.

Is my PDF uploaded?

Not on this page. The PDF is read and rewritten in your browser, and the page sends nothing to a server. The REST API and MCP tool are a separate path: a call sends the input you include to FindUtils over HTTPS, where it is processed and the result returned. FindUtils does not store that input, and logs the request without its content.

Why does it refuse an encrypted PDF?

An encrypted PDF cannot be rewritten without decrypting it, and rewriting it without the password damages the file. Remove the password with Unlock PDF first, using the password you know, then drop the unlocked copy here.

Will the cleaned PDF look the same?

Yes. The pages, text, fonts and images are written back unchanged. The file is saved again, so its size and internal layout can differ slightly from the original, but what you see on the page does not change.

What is XMP metadata in a PDF?

XMP is an XML packet stored inside the PDF as a stream. It usually repeats the Info fields, such as the author and the creating program, and adds identifiers and an editing history. Removing only the Info fields leaves the XMP copy in place, which is why the page removes both by default.

Will removing XMP break a PDF/A file?

Yes, it stops being a PDF/A file, because PDF/A records its conformance in the XMP stream. The page shows a warning when the XMP declares PDF/A. Untick XMP metadata to keep the stream.

Why does the PDF show a Producer again after I edit it?

Every program that saves a PDF writes its own Producer and dates. Remove the metadata as the last step, after any other editing, merging or compressing.

Can I keep some fields?

Yes. Untick a field and it stays in the copy. The before and after table marks each field as Removed or Kept, read back from the cleaned file.

Can I use this from a script or an AI client?

Yes. The same removal is available over HTTP and to MCP clients as pdf_metadata_remover. It takes a base64-encoded PDF and returns the cleaned PDF with the before and after report.

Run it from code

$ curl -X POST \
  api.findutils.com/api/tools/pdf-metadata-remover/execute \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"pdf":"JVBERi0xLjQKMSAwIG9iago8PCAvVHlwZSAvQ2F0YWxvZyAvUGFnZXMgMiAwIFIgPj4KZW5kb2JqCjIgMCBvYmoKPDwgL1R5cGUgL1BhZ2VzIC9LaWRzIFszIDAgUiA1IDAgUl0gL0NvdW50IDIgP…'

$ claude mcp add findutils \
  --transport http https://mcp.findutils.com/ \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
# then call findutils:pdf_metadata_remover

Running a tool needs an API key. Keys are not for sale yet: ask for early access. About API keys

The REST API and the MCP tool are a separate path from this page: a call sends the input you include to FindUtils over HTTPS, where it is processed and the result returned. FindUtils does not store that input, and logs the request without its content.

API reference Add to Claude