Remove Metadata from PDF Files Online
Delete author name, title, creation date and all hidden metadata from your PDF documents — free, instant and secure
What Is PDF Metadata?
Every PDF document contains a set of hidden properties called document metadata. These fields are embedded automatically when the PDF is created or edited, and they persist through file sharing, email forwarding, and cloud uploads. Common PDF metadata fields include:
- Author — your full name or username from the software that created the PDF
- Title & Subject — document title and subject fields, often auto-populated from the original file
- Creation & Modification Dates — exact timestamps showing when the document was first created and last edited
- Producer & Creator — the software used to generate the PDF (e.g., "Microsoft Word", "Adobe Acrobat", "LibreOffice")
- XMP Metadata — an extended metadata block that can contain revision history, company names, and custom fields
Why Remove Metadata from PDF Files?
PDF metadata can reveal sensitive information about you and your organization. When you send a contract, resume, report, or any document as a PDF, the recipient can view all metadata by simply opening the document properties.
For individuals: Your full name, the software you use, and exact editing timestamps are visible. A resume PDF might reveal that you created it at 2 AM using a company laptop — information you might not want a potential employer to see.
For businesses: Internal software names, employee names, department information, and document revision history can leak through PDF metadata. Legal documents, proposals, and contracts often carry metadata from earlier drafts or different clients.
For legal and compliance: Courts and regulatory bodies have flagged cases where PDF metadata exposed redacted information, earlier draft content, or authorship disputes. Cleaning PDF metadata before distribution is a recommended practice in legal and compliance workflows.
MetaScrub removes all metadata from your PDF files — author, title, subject, dates, producer, creator, keywords, and XMP data — while keeping the document content, formatting, links, and bookmarks completely intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I delete the author name from a PDF?
Upload your PDF using the form above. MetaScrub will display all metadata fields including the author. Click "Clean Metadata" to remove everything. Download the clean PDF with no author information visible in the document properties.
Will cleaning metadata affect my PDF content?
No. Only the document properties (metadata) are removed. All text, images, tables, formatting, hyperlinks, bookmarks, and forms remain completely unchanged. The visual appearance of your PDF is identical before and after cleaning.
Can I clean metadata from password-protected PDFs?
MetaScrub can process PDFs that are not encrypted. If your PDF requires a password to open, you will need to remove the password protection first, then clean the metadata.
Is batch PDF metadata removal supported?
Yes. You can upload multiple PDF files at once. All documents will be cleaned simultaneously, and you will receive a ZIP archive with all your metadata-free PDFs.