Remove PDF Metadata Online – Private & Verified

Remove PDF metadata before sharing a document

A PDF can carry properties that do not appear on the page: the author or organisation, document title, subject, keywords, the software that created it and creation or modification dates. Those details can be useful inside a document-management system, but they may disclose more than intended when a report, proposal, CV, manuscript or client file leaves its original workflow.

Select a PDF above to create a new copy in this browser. PDF North clears the complete document information dictionary, including custom keys, and removes XMP metadata streams attached to the document catalogue or individual pages. The original file on your device is never overwritten.

Automatic verification before download

The job does not stop after saving. PDF North opens the generated bytes again and checks the same document-information and XMP locations. The download button is created only when that second inspection finds no remaining entries. The result label tells you how many items were found in the source and confirms that the output passed this check.

What the metadata remover checks

The tool deletes every entry in the document information dictionary, then removes XMP metadata streams on the document and on any page that has one. It does not keep an allow-list of field names. When the file contains them, that includes:

• Title, Author, Subject and Keywords
• Creator and Producer
• CreationDate and ModDate
• Trapped
• Custom information keys, such as Company
• Document XMP metadata
• Page XMP metadata

A field that is absent is simply not there to clear. Text painted on the page, annotations, attachments, form values and other structures outside these locations stay where they are.

What it deliberately does not claim

Metadata removal is not redaction or malware sanitisation. It does not remove names, addresses or other details visibly printed on a page. It also does not inspect or erase annotations, comments, attachments, form values, embedded JavaScript, digital signatures, revision history stored outside the checked structures or every proprietary data structure a PDF producer could create. Use specialist redaction or document-sanitisation software when those risks matter.

Saving an edited PDF can invalidate a digital signature, so retain the signed original and do not use this tool when signature validity must be preserved. Password-protected PDFs are not supported. Always open the cleaned copy and review its pages before distributing it.

Private processing on your device

The selected PDF is read, rewritten and verified inside this browser tab. It is not uploaded to PDF North. The temporary download URL exists only in browser memory and is released when the page closes or reloads. Files are limited to 60 MB and 250 pages to reduce the chance of exhausting device memory.

Finish the document before cleaning properties

Make structural changes first, then remove metadata from the final copy. Use Merge PDF to combine documents, Reorder PDF Pages to fix the sequence or Add Watermark to PDF for a visible status label. Run the metadata remover last so metadata created by earlier editing steps does not travel with the version you share.

Frequently asked questions

What PDF metadata does this remover clear?

It clears the whole document information dictionary, including title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer, dates and custom keys. It also removes XMP metadata streams it finds on the document or on individual pages. Removal means the bytes leave the download, not only the index pointing at them. The old XMP packets and the strings those information keys held are absent from the saved file, including inside compressed object streams.

Which named PDF fields are on that list?

When the file actually contains them: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, ModDate and Trapped, plus any custom information key such as Company. A missing field is skipped. The remover does not keep an allow-list of names to spare — every key in that dictionary is deleted — and it removes the document XMP stream and each page XMP stream it finds. A value stored as its own object elsewhere in the file, such as a Producer string the information dictionary only refers to, is deleted with its key rather than left behind as an unused fragment.

Is removing metadata the same as redacting the pages?

No. Names, addresses and other text printed on the page stay visible. Annotations, comments, attachments, form values, scripts and every possible forensic trace are outside this check. Use specialist redaction software when those risks matter.

Can I type a new author instead of deleting the fields?

No. There is no box for a replacement title or author. The tool only clears the information dictionary and the XMP streams it checks. Opening the download in another PDF app can write new dates later. Visible names on the page are still there, because this is not redaction. The remover itself writes nothing in place of the cleared fields: it does not name PDF North as the producer and does not add a fresh modification date. If the source had an information dictionary, it stays as an empty entry.

Why is the download held until a second check passes?

After saving, PDF North opens the new bytes and inspects the same document-information and XMP locations again. A download is offered only when that second inspection finds none of those entries. The result label reports how many items were in the source, for example 3 metadata items removed · output verified, or No common metadata found · output verified. A failed check reads The cleaned PDF still contains 1 metadata item. No download was created. The count covers current entries; an older title superseded by a later incremental save is dropped too but is not counted. contract.pdf downloads as contract-metadata-removed.pdf.

Does metadata removal upload the PDF?

No. Inspection, rewriting and the second check all happen in this browser tab. The original file is not overwritten. This does not promise that an existing digital signature stays valid, and password-protected PDFs are not supported. Because the whole file is rewritten, the download can be smaller or slightly larger than the source even when no metadata was found.