Check what your PDF says about its author
A PDF can show an old author or an internal project title in Document Properties even when its pages look correct. Use this tool to remove standard document information or replace the title, author, subject and keywords before sharing a copy. Changing a filename does not change those properties.
The editor works on the selected PDF in your browser and creates a separate download. It does not inspect every place a name could be stored. Names printed on pages, comments, attachments and additional metadata can remain, so treat this as document housekeeping rather than anonymous publishing.
Choose the right kind of cleanup
| Your situation | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
| The Properties window shows an outdated title or author. | Choose the replacement action and enter all four properties you want to keep. The input fields start empty; leaving one blank clears that property instead of keeping its previous value. |
| You want the usual document properties cleared. | Choose the removal action. It clears Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, ModDate and Trapped from the standard document information dictionary. |
| A person's name is visible in the document itself. | Use a redaction workflow for that page content. Removing an Author property does not remove matching words from a page, a scan or an attachment. |
Clear the sample's standard properties
Use the downloadable five-page sample. Its starting title is Example project notes and its author is Example author. These values make it possible to compare the downloaded file with the source without using a private document.
- Choose device-document-lab.pdf. Under Action, leave Remove standard PDF properties selected.
- Select Update metadata, download the result, and open that downloaded copy rather than the original browser tab.
- Inspect Document Properties in a PDF viewer. The title and author should be empty, while the five pages and their visible headings remain.
- For an optional replacement exercise, start from the original sample and choose Replace title, author, subject and keywords. Enter Title: Public project notes; Author: Example team; Subject: Sharing copy; Keywords: example, notes.
- Select Update metadata again and save this second output separately. Compare its properties with both the source and the removal copy.
Expected result. The primary exercise should produce five pages with empty standard title and author properties, matching the checked removal output below. The optional replacement copy should show the four entered values. Neither operation should erase the visible page headings.
Check the downloaded result
- Compare the title, author, subject and keywords in a viewer's document properties. A tab caption alone is inconclusive because viewers may display the filename instead.
- Reopen the download and compare page count, visible text and any saved form values with the original. Successful file validation does not substitute for this visual check.
- If privacy is the purpose, separately inspect visible names, comments, attachments and extended metadata. Empty standard properties do not prove the PDF contains no identifying information.
Troubleshooting
- The old author is still displayed somewhere.
The viewer might show the original file, cached details, visible text or an extended XMP property that this editor does not remove.
Try this: Close the source, reopen the downloaded copy and check its standard properties. If an extended field remains, use an editor that explicitly handles XMP and verify that field separately.
- A property disappeared after changing only the title.
Replacement writes all four visible fields. Empty Author, Subject or Keywords inputs do not mean leave unchanged.
Try this: Start again with the original PDF and enter every value you want retained before selecting Update metadata.
- An entered character becomes a question mark.
This editor currently restricts entered property text to basic Latin and Latin-1 characters. Other characters are replaced during processing.
Try this: Keep the original and use a Unicode-capable metadata editor if the exact spelling requires another script. Check the downloaded properties before sharing.
Limits and compatibility
- Extended and embedded metadata
- The removal action does not clear XMP packets, custom information keys, metadata within embedded images or identifying page content. It is not a complete sanitisation or forensic erasure tool.
- Input and output
- Password-protected inputs must be unlocked with permission first. File and page limits depend on the device and appear at selection. Editing creates a new PDF; keep a signed original because a modified copy must not be treated as the original signed file.
Your files and form values are processed on this device. Downloaded copies remain wherever you save them. See how to check local processing and our privacy policy for site data and optional services.
Common questions
- Does changing the PDF title rename the file?
- No. Title is an internal property. The download uses a filename based on the selected file with a metadata suffix; rename that file separately if needed.
- Will this remove the author printed on the first page?
- No. Page text is separate from document properties. Inspect and redact the visible text if you need it removed.
Continue your document workflow
Maintained by Shakti Prasad Ram. Found a mismatch? Report the tool, browser and steps without sending a sensitive document. Back to the tool