How to Remove Hidden Metadata from PDF Files

PDFs Are More Than Just Text

When you create a PDF in Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, or Google Docs, the software embeds invisible "dictionaries" of information. This is known as PDF Metadata.

What Does PDF Metadata Hide?

• Author Name: Usually the name registered to the computer (e.g., "John Smith").
• Creation Date: When the document was started.
• Modification History: Timestamps of every save.
• Software Used: e.g., "Adobe InDesign 2024 (Windows)".

Why Sanitize PDFs?

For lawyers, journalists, and corporate teams, sending a PDF with metadata can be a disaster. It can reveal who actually wrote a document (ghostwriters), how long it took to write, or what software version (potentially vulnerable) the company uses.

How to Clean PDFs with ExifX

Removing PDF metadata manually requires expensive software like Adobe Acrobat Pro. ExifX provides a free alternative:

1. Upload your PDF to the ExifX Tool.
2. Our engine parses the XMP and Document Info blocks.
3. It rewrites the file with empty headers.
4. You download a visually identical but digitally sterile document.