Remove metadata from PDF files online

Every PDF you create carries hidden information you didn't type. Author name, the program that made it, timestamps, edit history, sometimes the path to the file on your computer. None of it shows on the page. All of it travels with the file.

Send a PDF to a client, publish it on a website, hand it to a journalist, and the hidden data goes too.

Metacleaner strips it out. The visible content of the document is left untouched.

Clean a PDF now See pricing

PDF documents on a desk illustrating hidden metadata

Drop a PDF to clean it

The cleaned file downloads automatically. We don't store the original or the cleaned copy.

What metadata sits inside a PDF?

A standard PDF stores metadata in two places: the document information dictionary and the XMP packet. Between them they typically hold:

  • Author. the name registered to the program that created the file
  • Title and subject. often left as the original draft name
  • Producer and creator. the software and version (e.g. Microsoft Word 2019, Adobe Acrobat Pro)
  • Creation date and modification date. down to the second
  • Keywords. sometimes set by templates
  • Edit history. present in some workflows, especially exports from collaboration tools
  • Embedded thumbnails. small previews that can survive content edits

Some PDFs also embed information from the source document. A PDF exported from Word can carry comments, tracked changes that were never accepted, or hidden text from earlier drafts. A PDF from a scanner can include the device serial number.

Why it matters

Three quick examples:

  1. A law firm sends a contract PDF. The metadata shows the file was last edited by a paralegal at 11.47pm. That's useful information for the other side's negotiation team.
  2. A journalist publishes a leaked document. The author name in the PDF properties identifies the source.
  3. A company shares a tender response. The producer field shows it was built from a template last used in a competitor's bid two months earlier.

Metadata isn't theoretical. It gets noticed.

How Metacleaner cleans PDFs

  1. Drop the PDF into the upload area on the homepage.
  2. The file is processed over an encrypted connection.
  3. Metadata fields are removed. The visible content is left alone.
  4. Download the cleaned file.

We don't store your data. The cleaned file replaces the original in the response, and that's the end of it.

What stays the same

The text, images, fonts, page layout, hyperlinks, form fields, and signatures (where present) all remain in the file. Metadata removal doesn't re-encode or re-render the document.

What if my PDF is over 5 MB?

The free tier has a 5 MB file size limit and one cleaned file per day for unregistered users. A free account raises the daily limit to five files. Paid plans increase the file size limit to 30 MB or 50 MB and the monthly traffic up to 100 GB. Pricing details →

Frequently asked

Will this break a signed PDF?

Removing metadata after signing usually invalidates the signature, because the signature covers the metadata fields. Clean the PDF before you sign it, not after.

Does it remove text I've added in comments or annotations?

Comments and annotations are part of the document content, not metadata. They stay in the file. If you need to remove them, do that in your PDF editor first.

Is the upload encrypted?

Yes. Files travel over an encrypted connection.

Do you keep a copy?

No. We don't store your files or the metadata we strip from them.

Use the API for high volume

If you're cleaning PDFs as part of a workflow (document management, publishing, legal review), the Metacleaner API takes the same job and runs it from your own application. OAuth 2.0, multipart upload, JSON response. API documentation →

Clean a PDF now