How to Remove Metadata from PDF Completely (Privacy Guide)

A colleague shared a PDF with the team last week. Nothing sensitive — just a presentation about our Q3 goals. But when I opened it in Acrobat and checked the file properties, there was his full name, the path to the folder on his computer, the software he used to create it, and the exact date and time it was created.

None of that information was supposed to be in the document. It just... showed up automatically.

That's PDF metadata, and most people don't even know it's there.

What is PDF Metadata?

Metadata is data about data. In the context of PDFs, it's information embedded in the file that describes the document itself — not the content of the pages, but the technical details about how and where it was created.

This isn't a PDF problem specifically. Photos have EXIF data with GPS coordinates and camera settings. Word docs have author information and edit history. PDFs are just another file format that carries this baggage around.

What Kind of Metadata Do PDFs Contain?

Let me show you what's hiding in a typical PDF. I opened a random document from my computer and checked its properties:

• Title: Whatever the software decided to call it
• Author: The name registered in the PDF creator software
• Subject: Sometimes filled in, often blank
• Keywords: Rarely used, sometimes populated automatically
• Creator: The application that created the PDF (e.g., "Microsoft Word")
• Producer: The PDF engine that rendered it (e.g., "Adobe PDF Library")
• Creation Date: Exact timestamp of when it was first saved
• Modification Date: Last time it was edited
• File Path: Where it lived on the creator's computer

Some of this is innocuous. Some of it tells people way more than you might want them to know.

Why Should You Care?

Let me give you some real scenarios where metadata caused problems:

Scenario 1: The Job Seeker

Someone sent a resume as a PDF. The metadata still had their old company name and the job title they were trying to leave behind. The employer noticed and raised questions about whether they were actively interviewing while still employed.

Scenario 2: The Confidential Document

A law firm sent a court filing as a PDF. The metadata revealed the client's name and case number, which should have been redacted. Opposing counsel spotted it and used it in their argument.

Scenario 3: The Remote Worker

Someone working from home sent a document with metadata showing the file path: /Users/john.smith/Desktop/Draft/SecretProject/. It revealed their username, computer name, and the fact that they were working on something marked "SecretProject."

Scenario 4: The Freelancer

A designer sent a portfolio PDF. The metadata showed the software license was registered to a different company — suggesting they might be using pirated software. The client chose someone else.

These aren't hypothetical. They happen all the time. Metadata is like a digital fingerprint you didn't know you were leaving everywhere.

How to Check What Metadata Your PDFs Have

Before you can remove metadata, you need to see what's there. Here's how:

Adobe Acrobat

Open the PDF, go to File → Properties, and click the Description tab. Everything is listed right there.

Preview (Mac)

Open the PDF, press Command+I, and look at the "More Info" section.

Browser

Some online tools can show you metadata without you needing any software. Our metadata removal tool will display what it finds before you remove it.

Command Line

If you're comfortable with a terminal, `exiftool` is fantastic. Just run:

exiftool filename.pdf

It'll dump every bit of metadata in the file.

Method 1: Browser-Based Removal (Easiest)

The quickest way to strip metadata is with a browser tool. You upload (or drag) your PDF, click a button, and download a clean version.

Our PDF metadata removal tool does this entirely in your browser — no uploads to our servers, no data collection, no account needed. Your file stays on your device the entire time.

The process is simple:

1. Open the metadata removal page
2. Drop your PDF file in
3. The tool shows you what metadata it found
4. Click to remove it
5. Download your clean PDF

This removes the standard metadata fields — title, author, creator, dates, file paths. It's what most people need.

Method 2: Adobe Acrobat (Most Thorough)

If you have Adobe Acrobat, it has a dedicated metadata scrubbing tool:

1. Open your PDF in Acrobat
2. Go to Tools → Protect
3. Click "Mark for Redaction"
4. Select "Hidden Information"
5. Click "Remove Hidden Information"
6. Review what will be removed
7. Apply and save

Acrobat's tool is more thorough than most — it finds hidden layers, comments, form data, bookmarks, and embedded files. It's overkill for most people, but if you're dealing with legal documents or anything that could be subpoenaed, use Acrobat.

Method 3: LibreOffice (Free, Cross-Platform)

You can use LibreOffice to remove metadata:

1. Open LibreOffice Draw
2. Open your PDF
3. Go to File → Properties
4. Clear out the Description tab
5. Export back to PDF

This only removes the basic metadata fields. For thorough cleaning, you'll want something more powerful.

Method 4: Command Line with qpdf

For the technically inclined, qpdf is excellent:

qpdf --linearize --replace-input input.pdf

This command linearizes the PDF and removes unnecessary metadata in one step. For more control:

qpdf --empty --pages input.pdf 1-z -- output.pdf

This recreates the PDF from scratch, which drops most metadata in the process.

Beyond Basic Metadata: What Else Is Hidden?

Standard metadata fields are just the beginning. PDFs can hide all kinds of information:

Comments and Annotations

You might have comments that you thought were hidden. "Don't include this section," "Ask John about this," or internal notes can still be embedded in the file.

Hidden Layers

Some PDFs have layers that aren't visible by default. They can contain anything — alternative text, older versions of content, stuff the creator decided to hide but not delete.

Embedded Files

PDFs can contain other files within them — Excel sheets, images, other PDFs. They won't show up when you view the document, but they're still there, taking up space and potentially containing sensitive data.

Form Data

If your PDF has forms, the data entered into those fields might be saved. Even if it looks blank, the information could still be embedded.

Bookmarks and Links

Internal bookmarks and hyperlinks can reveal structure and navigation that you didn't intend to share.

Acrobat's "Remove Hidden Information" tool catches most of these. Browser tools typically focus on basic metadata.

A Note on OCR and Metadata

When you run OCR on a PDF (making scanned documents searchable), the OCR software sometimes adds its own metadata. The original scan date, the software version, processing settings — it can add up.

If you're OCRing documents for distribution, remember to check the metadata afterward.

When Should You Remove Metadata?

• Before sending any document to someone outside your organization
• Before uploading to public sites
• When sharing with clients, especially for the first time
• Before legal filings or court submissions
• When sending job applications, proposals, or bids
• Anytime the document contains or references sensitive information

Basically: if someone else is going to see it, clean the metadata first. It takes 30 seconds and can prevent all kinds of problems.

Best Practices for PDF Privacy

• Make metadata removal a habit: Every time you export a PDF for sharing, strip the metadata. Build it into your workflow.
• Check before sending: Even if you're sure, take 5 seconds to verify the metadata is gone.
• Use the right tool for the job: Browser tools for quick cleaning, Acrobat for legal documents, qpdf for power users.
• Keep originals safe: Always work on copies. Never strip metadata from your master documents.
• Educate your team: Most people don't know about metadata. Teach them before it causes a problem.

Real-World Checklist: Before You Send a PDF

1. Open the document properties and check what's there
2. Is there anything you don't want the recipient to see?
3. Use a metadata removal tool to strip it
4. Verify it's actually gone
5. Send the clean version

This takes less than a minute. Do it once, and it becomes automatic.

Final Thoughts

PDF metadata is one of those invisible privacy risks that most people ignore until it causes a problem. Then it's too late.

The good news: removing metadata is easy. Our browser tool handles it in seconds. Your files stay on your device, and you get a clean PDF ready for sharing.

Make metadata removal part of your routine. Your future self will thank you.