Every PDF carries hidden metadata: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, and Producer. This data is invisible when viewing the document but visible to anyone who opens File Properties in a PDF reader. LovelyPDF reads both stores, displays what's there, lets you edit each field individually or wipe everything with one click — all in your browser with no upload.
Metadata leakage is a common unintentional disclosure in business and legal documents. A contract drafted in Microsoft Word by a lawyer and exported to PDF will typically have the Author field set to the lawyer's Windows login name, the Creator field set to "Microsoft Word 2019", and the company name embedded as well. When the opposing party receives the PDF and checks file properties, they can see which firm drafted it and the software version — information that may be sensitive.
Edit metadata when you want to set correct information — updating the Title to the actual document name, or correcting the Author field before submitting a report. Use Clear All for maximum privacy before sharing externally.
What metadata fields does the tool show and edit?
Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator (the application that created the content), and Producer (the software that generated the PDF). XMP metadata is also cleaned when you use Clear All.
Does removing metadata change anything visible in the PDF?
No. Metadata is completely separate from document content. Removing it does not affect text, images, formatting, fonts, or file structure.
My PDF shows "Microsoft Word" as the Creator — how do I change it?
Upload the PDF, clear the Creator and Producer fields (or use Clear All), and download. Alternatively, type whatever you want in those fields — for example, your firm name.
Does the tool change the creation or modification date?
The modification date is updated automatically when pdf-lib saves the new file. The creation date from the original document is preserved unless you strip all metadata.
Metadata editing runs entirely in your browser using pdf-lib — your document is never uploaded to any server. This is particularly important when the document itself contains sensitive information that should not be processed externally, and when you are removing metadata precisely because you want to limit what third parties can see about the file's origin.
No account is required. All metadata fields and the Clear All function are available without registration or any usage limit. Edit a single field or strip all metadata in a batch of documents — the tool imposes no restriction on how many times you use it.
The tool works on any device in any modern browser. Review and clean metadata on your phone before sending a document via WhatsApp, or process a set of client deliverables on your laptop before emailing them. The same clean interface is available everywhere without installing any software.
Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator (the application that created the source content), and Producer (the PDF rendering software). XMP metadata embedded in the document's metadata stream is also stripped when you use Clear All. The modification date is updated automatically to the current date when pdf-lib saves the new file — this is standard PDF behaviour.
No — metadata is completely separate from document content. Text, images, fonts, formatting, bookmarks, and hyperlinks are entirely unaffected by any metadata change. The document looks and functions identically after metadata has been edited or cleared.
A PDF exported from Microsoft Word typically carries the author's Windows login name, the company name, the software version, and sometimes the machine name in its metadata. Anyone who receives the PDF and checks File Properties can read this. For external sharing — tender submissions, client deliverables, public reports — removing this prevents unintentional disclosure of internal information about authorship, software, and company infrastructure.
Upload the PDF, find the Creator and Producer fields in the editor, and clear or replace them with whatever you want — your name, your firm's name, or leave them blank. Use Clear All to wipe every field simultaneously. Download the updated PDF and verify the change by opening File Properties in your PDF reader of choice.