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Clear PDF Metadata Before Sharing

Clear standard document properties from a PDF before sharing. Visible page text, names, and images are not redacted.

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

    Review the document properties before clearing them. The editor targets standard PDF information fields and the XMP metadata dictionary.

  3. 3

    Strip and download

    Clear the selected metadata fields and download a newly saved PDF. The names and text printed on the pages are not changed.

What is removed

The editor clears the PDF Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Producer, and Creator fields. It also deletes the document's XMP metadata dictionary before saving the new file.

Metadata is information about the document, not the visible page content. Clearing the Author field will not remove a person's name printed in a letter, scanned into an image, or included in selectable page text.

The original PDF is not edited. The result is a newly saved copy, so open its document properties after downloading if you need to confirm the fields are blank.

What metadata removal cannot clean

This is not a complete privacy or sanitisation guarantee. It does not promise to remove every embedded file, hidden object, script, attachment, or piece of content stored elsewhere in a complex PDF.

Bookmarks, digital signatures, forms, and advanced PDF structures may be affected when the file is saved again. Check important documents in a PDF viewer, and use Redact PDF when the sensitive information is visible on the page.

Removing metadata is different from editing metadata. This tool clears the supported fields; Edit PDF Metadata lets you replace fields such as title, author, subject, and keywords with new values.

Your files never leave your device

The PDF is inspected and saved in your browser. It is not uploaded to our server during metadata removal.

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

It clears Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Producer, Creator, and the XMP metadata dictionary.
No. Metadata is separate from visible page content. Use a proper redaction tool for names or text shown on the pages.
No. It targets the listed document properties and does not guarantee removal of every attachment, script, hidden object, or advanced PDF feature.
They may be affected when the PDF is saved again. Check the output, especially if the document contains signatures, forms, or advanced navigation.
No. The editor creates a newly saved copy and leaves the original file unchanged.
Removing clears the supported fields. Edit PDF Metadata lets you enter new values instead.
Usually not. Standard metadata is small, so any size change is likely to be modest.
No. The file is processed in your browser without being uploaded.