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Remove Hidden Metadata from PDF Files

Strip all hidden information and properties from your PDF for maximum privacy.

How to remove metadata from a PDF — 3 steps

  1. 1

    Add your PDF

    Drop the file into the box above. Its current metadata is read locally and shown to you before anything is changed.

  2. 2

    Review what the file reveals

    See the author, title, creation tool, and dates embedded in the document — fields most people never realize are there.

  3. 3

    Strip and download

    Remove the properties and save a clean copy. The visible content of the document is untouched.

What PDF metadata gives away

Every PDF carries hidden properties: the author's name (often the login name of whoever created it), the software and version used, company names from templates, plus creation and modification timestamps. A résumé exported from Word can reveal a previous employer's template; a "final" report can show it was edited an hour before the deadline; an anonymized document can carry its author's identity in a field nobody checked.

Cleaning metadata matters whenever the document leaves your organization: sending proposals to clients, filing documents publicly, sharing research for blind review, or posting anything where the author should stay anonymous. It is a standard step in professional document-handling checklists for exactly these reasons.

Note the boundary of what this tool does: it removes document properties, not visible content. If the pages themselves contain names or sensitive text that must go, use the Redact PDF tool for the content and this tool for the properties — the combination covers both layers.

Your files never leave your device

A tool for scrubbing identifying data would be pointless if it uploaded your file somewhere first — here the inspection and cleaning happen only on your device.

Most online PDF sites upload your document to their servers, process it there, and keep a copy for minutes, hours, or longer. PilotPDF works differently: the page downloads a small processing engine into your browser, and your file is opened and edited in your device's memory using WebAssembly. Nothing is transmitted, so there is nothing for a server to store, leak, or scan. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tool keeps working.

Read more about how this works in our privacy-by-design explainer.

Related tools

Edit PDF Metadata

Set title, author, and keywords instead of removing them.

Redact PDF

Black out sensitive content on the pages themselves.

Flatten PDF

Make forms and annotations permanent before sharing.

Remove Image Metadata

Strip EXIF data (location, camera) from photos too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Simply select your PDF. We read its properties, delete the hidden dictionary maps, and provide a clean PDF download instantly.
PDFs routinely catalog author names, creation dates, software used, and company info which can compromise your personal identity.
No! Our specialized JavaScript PDF parser runs 100% locally on your computer hardware.
Currently, this tool completely purges all optional data vectors. It leaves only the mandatory visual PDF rendering instructions.
Usually marginally. Text metadata blocks are exceptionally small, however, stripping embedded external thumbnails may save some KB.
Yes, highly complex document properties like digital signatures or complex navigational outlines may be severed.
No, your local copy is completely untouched. You are downloading a brand-new pristine reconstruction.
No, this tool specifically targets document properties. To obscure inline text, exclusively utilize our Redact PDF feature.
When viewing properties, fields like Author and Subject will return entirely blank rather than the pre-recorded values.
Yes! Selecting a massive batch simply pipelines them via your local memory cache.