Edit PDF Metadata
View, edit, or remove hidden metadata (title, author, creator, keywords) from a PDF.
How to View and Edit PDF Metadata — Strip Hidden Author and Company Data
Every PDF carries hidden metadata in two places: the DocInfo dictionary (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer) and the XMP metadata block. This data is invisible when viewing the document but is immediately visible to anyone who opens File Properties in a PDF reader, or inspects the raw file. 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 or NDA 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, sometimes the individual's name, and the software version — information that may be sensitive in competitive or adversarial contexts. Government tender documents from PSUs occasionally reveal internal drafter names. Academic submissions should have the student's name in the Title field, not the template author's name. LovelyPDF lets you inspect and correct all of this before sending.
How to Edit or Remove PDF Metadata
- Upload your PDF — the tool reads and displays all existing metadata fields immediately
- Edit individual fields (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer) as needed
- Click Remove All Metadata to clear all fields at once
- Click Download Updated PDF to save a clean copy
When to Edit vs When to Remove Metadata
Edit metadata when you want to set correct information — for example, updating the Title to the actual document name, or correcting the Author field before submitting a report. Use Remove All for maximum privacy before sharing externally — a blank Author field reveals nothing about who created the document or on which system. For legal filings and government tender submissions, removing metadata is good practice because it eliminates any basis for challenging document authenticity based on creation software or author discrepancies.
Frequently Asked Questions
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). These are the standard DocInfo fields. XMP metadata is also cleaned when you use Remove All.
Does removing metadata change anything visible in the PDF?
No. Metadata is completely separate from the document content. Removing it does not affect text, images, formatting, fonts, or file structure. The PDF looks and reads identically before and after.
My PDF shows "Microsoft Word" as the Creator — how do I change it?
Upload the PDF, clear the Creator and Producer fields (or use Remove All), and download. The new file will have empty Creator and Producer fields. Alternatively, type whatever you want in those fields — for example, your firm name.
Does the tool change the creation date or modification date?
The modification date is updated automatically when pdf-lib saves the new file (since it is technically a modified version). The creation date from the original document is preserved unless you strip all metadata, in which case both dates are removed.
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