PDF Metadata Editor
Edit or remove document properties embedded inside your PDF files. Change the ti...Edit or remove document properties embedded inside your PDF files. Change the title, author, subject, and keywords stored in the PDF info dictionary w...
Drop your PDF here, or click to browse
Edit document properties like title, author, and keywords
Supported Formats
Input Formats
Output Formats
What This Tool Does
A focused metadata editor built for privacy, compliance, and document management
Why Use PDF Metadata Editor?
Protect Your Privacy Before Sharing
PDF metadata silently exposes personal information. The author field often contains your full name or Windows username, the producer field reveals the software you used, and creation dates can show when you drafted a document. Before distributing a PDF publicly, through a FOIA request, or to opposing counsel, stripping or replacing this metadata prevents unintended disclosure of your identity and workflow.
Improve SEO for Published PDFs
Google indexes PDF files and uses the document title from metadata as the page title in search results. A PDF with a blank title field appears in Google with the filename instead, which is often something unhelpful like 'doc_final_v3.pdf'. Setting a descriptive, keyword-rich title and relevant keywords in the metadata directly improves how your PDF ranks and displays in organic search.
Meet Legal and Compliance Requirements
Court filing systems, government document repositories, and regulatory submissions often require specific metadata fields. WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards mandate that PDFs have a document title set. PDF/A archival formats require valid metadata. Many law firms audit metadata before filing to prevent inadvertent disclosure of privileged information or tracked changes.
Organize Your Document Library
Enterprise document management systems like SharePoint, Documentum, and Alfresco index PDF metadata for search and classification. When your PDFs have consistent titles, accurate author attribution, and relevant keywords, your team can find documents in seconds instead of manually browsing folder structures. This matters especially in organizations managing thousands of PDFs.
Improve Accessibility for Screen Readers
Screen readers like JAWS and NVDA announce the PDF document title when a user opens the file. If the title field is blank, the screen reader falls back to the filename, which is often cryptic. Section 508 compliance and WCAG 2.1 Level AA both require documents to have meaningful titles. Editing metadata is one of the simplest steps toward making your PDFs accessible.
Professional Presentation and Branding
When someone opens your PDF in Adobe Acrobat or any reader, the title bar displays the document title from metadata. A file called 'Q4-2025-Revenue-Report.pdf' that shows 'Quarterly Revenue Report - Q4 2025' in the title bar looks professional. Consistent author names across company documents reinforce brand identity and make it clear who is responsible for each publication.
Real-World Scenarios for PDF Metadata Editing
How professionals use metadata editing to solve practical problems
Redacting Identity Before Public Distribution
A journalist prepares leaked documents for publication. The PDFs contain the leaker's Windows username in the Author field and creation timestamps that could narrow down when the documents were accessed. Before publishing, the journalist uses the metadata editor to replace the author with the publication name and verifies that no identifying information remains in the standard fields. This is a common workflow in investigative reporting, whistleblower protection, and FOIA response redaction.
Optimizing Research Papers for Google Scholar
An academic researcher publishes whitepapers and technical reports as PDFs on their university website. Google Scholar and regular Google Search both index these files. By setting a clear, keyword-rich title ('Machine Learning Approaches to Climate Prediction: A 2025 Survey') and adding relevant keywords in the metadata, the researcher ensures the PDF appears with a proper title in search results rather than the generic filename. The Subject field provides additional context that citation indexers can use.
Corporate Document Standardization
A compliance officer at a financial institution needs all customer-facing PDFs to carry the company name as Author, a standardized title format, and regulatory classification keywords. Individual employees often create PDFs with their personal names in the Author field and no title set. The compliance officer processes each document through the metadata editor before publication, ensuring every PDF that leaves the organization meets their metadata policy. This prevents attribution confusion and satisfies audit requirements.
Legal Filing Preparation
A paralegal prepares exhibit PDFs for a federal court filing through CM/ECF. Court rules require that the document title accurately reflects the exhibit designation, such as 'Exhibit A - Contract Between Parties Dated March 2024'. The original files have unhelpful titles like 'scan001' or no title at all. The paralegal edits the metadata to set proper exhibit titles, clears the Author field to prevent revealing which firm member drafted the document, and ensures the Subject field matches the case index requirements.
How It Works
Upload Your PDF
Drag and drop your PDF or click to browse. The tool immediately reads the existing metadata from the PDF info dictionary and populates the fields so you can see exactly what is currently stored in the document. Processing happens entirely in your browser.
Edit or Clear Document Properties
Modify the title, author, subject, and keywords fields as needed. To remove a metadata entry entirely, leave the field blank. For keywords, enter comma-separated terms. The tool shows a live preview of what properties will be written to the updated file.
Download the Updated PDF
Click Update Metadata to apply your changes. The pdf-lib library rewrites the info dictionary client-side without touching the visible content, fonts, or images. Download the result instantly. The original file is never modified.
Expert Advice for PDF Metadata Management
Always Check Metadata Before Sharing Externally
Get into the habit of inspecting PDF properties before emailing, uploading, or filing any document. The Author field often defaults to your OS username, which may reveal your personal name or company login. A quick metadata check takes seconds and prevents accidental disclosure that cannot be undone once the file is distributed.
Write Titles for Google, Not for Your File System
The PDF Title field is what Google often displays as the clickable link in search results. Write it like a web page title: descriptive, keyword-rich, and under 70 characters. 'Complete Guide to React Server Components (2025)' will outperform 'guide_v2_final.pdf' in every search scenario. Think of it as the SEO title tag for your document.
Use Specific, Categorized Keywords
Enter keywords that someone would actually search for, separated by commas. Include the document type ('annual report'), the topic ('renewable energy investment'), the year ('2025'), and any relevant standards or regulations ('ESG compliance'). Avoid generic terms like 'document' or 'important' that add no search value.
Edit Metadata Before Signing, Not After
If your PDF will be digitally signed, finalize all metadata changes first. Digital signatures cover the entire file including metadata. Changing even one character in the Title field after signing will invalidate the signature. Plan your metadata workflow so that signing is always the last step before distribution.