PDF Metadata Explained — What's Hidden in Your PDF Files

What is PDF Metadata?

Every PDF contains hidden information called metadata:

Title — document title

Author — who created it

Subject — document topic

Creator — software used to create it (e.g., "Microsoft Word")

Producer — software used to generate the PDF

Creation Date — when it was created

Modification Date — when it was last changed

Author name reveals who wrote the document

Creator software reveals your tools

Dates reveal your timeline

Helps organize document libraries

Used by search engines for indexing

Required for PDF/A compliance

Upload your PDF

View all metadata fields

Toggle "Edit Mode" to change title/author

Process to save changes

To strip metadata for privacy:

Edit the title and author to empty values

Or flatten the PDF (removes some metadata)

PDF Page Info — page dimensions and details

Validate PDF/A — check if metadata meets archival standards