--- title: "PDF Metadata Remover" description: "See the author, title, software and dates stored inside a PDF, then download a copy with the fields you tick removed. On this page, the PDF is read and cleaned in your browser." url: https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-metadata-remover/ category: pdf --- # PDF Metadata Remover See the author, title, software and dates stored inside a PDF, then download a copy with the fields you tick removed. On this page, the PDF is read and cleaned in your browser. **Use this tool:** [PDF Metadata Remover](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-metadata-remover/) ## Programmatic access - REST id `pdf-metadata-remover`: POST https://api.findutils.com/api/tools/pdf-metadata-remover/execute (reference: https://findutils.com/api/pdf-metadata-remover/) - MCP tool `pdf_metadata_remover` on https://mcp.findutils.com (reference: https://findutils.com/mcp/pdf-metadata-remover/) - Data: 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. ## 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. ## 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](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-unlock/) 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. ## Related Tools - [Unlock PDF](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-unlock/) - [Protect PDF](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-protect/) - [DOCX Metadata Remover](https://findutils.com/security/docx-metadata-remover/) - [EXIF Remover](https://findutils.com/security/exif-remover/) - [PDF Compress](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-compress/) - [PDF Watermark](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-watermark/) - [PDF Page Numbers](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-page-numbers/) - [PDF Merger](https://findutils.com/pdf/pdf-merger/)