PDF Metadata: How to View, Edit, and Remove

PDF metadata is the hidden information embedded in every PDF file. It includes the document title, author, subject, keywords, creation date, modification date, and more. While metadata is useful for organization and search, it can also reveal sensitive information you may not want to share. This guide covers how to view, edit, and remove PDF metadata in 2026.

What Is PDF Metadata?

Metadata is "data about data." In PDFs, it provides information about the document itself — not its content. There are two main types of metadata in PDFs:

Document Information Dictionary (Basic Metadata)

The traditional PDF metadata, stored in the Info dictionary:

• Title: The document title.
• Author: The document author.
• Subject: A brief description of the document.
• Keywords: Keywords for search and indexing.
• Creator: The application that created the original document.
• Producer: The application that created the PDF.
• CreationDate: When the document was created.
• ModDate: When the document was last modified.

XMP Metadata (Extended Metadata)

XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) is Adobe's XML-based metadata format. It can store much more information:

• All the basic metadata fields.
• Copyright information.
• Rating and label.
• Camera/exif data (for PDFs containing photos).
• Custom metadata schemas.
• Document history.

What Metadata Reveals

Metadata can reveal information you might not want to share:

• Author name: May identify the creator of a document you want to share anonymously.
• Creation date: May reveal when work was actually done.
• Software used: May reveal what tools you use.
• File paths: Some applications embed the original file path.
• Edit history: May reveal how many revisions were made.
• Comments and annotations: Hidden comments may be stored in metadata.

Method 1: View PDF Metadata

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to File > Properties (or press Ctrl/Cmd+D).
3. The "Description" tab shows basic metadata: title, author, subject, keywords, creation date, modification date, and application info.
4. The "Custom" tab shows any custom metadata fields.
5. The "Advanced" tab shows XMP metadata.

Using a PDF Viewer

Most PDF viewers show basic metadata:

• Adobe Reader: File > Properties.
• Preview (macOS): Tools > Inspector (or Cmd+I).
• Firefox/Chrome: Right-click > Document Properties (or similar).

Using Command Line

# View metadata with exiftool
exiftool document.pdf

# View metadata with pdfinfo (poppler-utils)
pdfinfo document.pdf

Both tools display all metadata fields, including XMP data.

Method 2: Edit PDF Metadata

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to File > Properties (Ctrl/Cmd+D).
3. In the "Description" tab:

- Edit the Title field.

- Edit the Author field.

- Edit the Subject field.

- Edit the Keywords field.

1. Click "Additional Metadata" for XMP fields:

- Copyright status and notice.

- Author, title, description (XMP versions).

- Keywords.

1. Click "OK" to save changes.
2. Save the document.

Using exiftool (Command Line)

exiftool can edit most metadata fields:

# Set title
exiftool -Title="My Document Title" document.pdf

# Set author
exiftool -Author="John Doe" document.pdf

# Set subject
exiftool -Subject="A brief description" document.pdf

# Set keywords
exiftool -Keywords="pdf, guide, tutorial" document.pdf

# Set all at once
exiftool -Title="My Title" -Author="John Doe" -Subject="Description" -Keywords="keyword1, keyword2" document.pdf

Using Python

For batch editing, a Python script with the pypdf library can modify metadata:

from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter

reader = PdfReader("input.pdf")
writer = PdfWriter()

# Copy all pages
for page in reader.pages:
    writer.add_page(page)

# Update metadata
writer.add_metadata({
    "/Title": "My Document Title",
    "/Author": "John Doe",
    "/Subject": "A brief description",
    "/Keywords": "pdf, guide, tutorial",
    "/Creator": "Custom Application",
    "/Producer": "Custom Application",
})

with open("output.pdf", "wb") as f:
    writer.write(f)

Method 3: Remove PDF Metadata

Removing metadata is important when sharing documents publicly or when privacy is a concern.

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to Tools > Protection > Sanitize Document (or Redact > Sanitize Document).
3. Choose what to remove:

- Metadata

- Hidden content

- Hidden layers

- Bookmarks

- Comments and annotations

- Attachments

- Deleted hidden content

1. Click "Remove" and confirm.
2. Save the document.

Alternatively, for basic metadata removal:

1. Go to File > Properties.
2. Delete the contents of the Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords fields.
3. Click "OK" and save.

Using exiftool (Command Line)

# Remove all metadata
exiftool -all= document.pdf

# Remove specific fields
exiftool -Title= -Author= -Subject= -Keywords= document.pdf

# Remove metadata and overwrite the original
exiftool -all= -overwrite_original document.pdf

Using qpdf (Command Line)

qpdf can remove metadata by creating a clean copy:

qpdf --linearize --object-streams=generate input.pdf output.pdf

While this does not remove all metadata, it creates a clean, linearized copy that may strip some unnecessary metadata.

Using Ghostscript

gs -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4    -dPDFSETTINGS=/default    -sOutputFile=clean.pdf input.pdf

Ghostscript creates a new PDF that may have reduced metadata, though it adds its own producer information.

When to Remove Metadata

When You Should Remove Metadata

• Anonymous sharing: If you want to share a document without revealing your identity.
• Public publishing: Before publishing documents publicly, remove metadata that could reveal private information.
• Legal documents: Some legal filings require metadata to be removed.
• Security: Metadata can reveal information about your systems, software, and workflow.
• Client confidentiality: Before sharing documents externally, remove internal metadata.

When You Should Keep Metadata

• Document management: Metadata helps organize and search documents in a DMS.
• SEO: Metadata (especially title and description) helps search engines index PDFs.
• Attribution: If you want to be credited as the author, keep the author field.
• Collaboration: Metadata helps collaborators understand the document's history.

Best Practices for PDF Metadata

Set Metadata When Creating Documents

Always set meaningful metadata when creating PDFs:

• Title: Use a descriptive title, not just the filename.
• Author: Set the author to the appropriate person or organization.
• Subject: Add a brief description of the document.
• Keywords: Add relevant keywords for searchability.

Review Metadata Before Sharing

Before sharing a PDF, review its metadata:

1. Open File > Properties.
2. Check all fields for sensitive information.
3. Remove or edit any fields that reveal information you do not want to share.
4. Save the document.

Use Consistent Metadata

For organizations, establish metadata standards:

• Title format: "Document Name - Organization Name"
• Author: Use the organization name or the creator's name.
• Keywords: Use a consistent set of keywords for searchability.

Automate Metadata Management

For large volumes of documents, automate metadata management:

• Scripts: Use exiftool or Python scripts to batch-set or remove metadata.
• Document management systems: Use a DMS that manages metadata automatically.
• Templates: Create document templates with pre-set metadata.

Common Metadata Problems

Problem: Metadata Shows the Wrong Author

This happens when a document is created on a computer with incorrect user information. Fix it by editing the Author field in the document properties or with exiftool.

Problem: Metadata Reveals File Paths

Some applications embed the original file path in the metadata. Use exiftool to check for and remove path-related fields.

Problem: Metadata Shows Old Dates

If a document was copied or modified, the creation date may not reflect the actual creation date. Edit the CreationDate field if the date is incorrect.

Problem: Metadata Contains Comments or Annotations

Hidden comments and annotations may be stored in the metadata. Use Acrobat Pro's Sanitize Document feature to remove them.

Conclusion

PDF metadata is a double-edged sword — it provides valuable information for organization and search, but it can also reveal sensitive information. The key is to be aware of what metadata your documents contain, set it appropriately when creating documents, and remove it when sharing documents publicly or externally. With the tools and techniques in this guide, you can view, edit, and remove PDF metadata with confidence.