PDF Metadata
Process your PDF files online quickly and securely.
Drag & drop your PDF here
or click to select file
User Guide
Add the PDF
Drag it in or click to browse. Nothing is uploaded, which matters here more than usual: metadata is exactly the part of a document people are checking because it might be sensitive.
Read the table
Every field the file actually contains is listed. Empty fields are hidden rather than shown blank, so what you see is what the document really carries.
Check the dates first
Creation and modification dates are the fields most often used to establish when a document was produced or last altered — and the ones most often overlooked.
Look at Producer and Creator
These record the software involved: Creator is the application the content came from, Producer is what wrote the PDF. They frequently reveal more about a document’s history than the visible content does.
Note the page size
Shown in points (72 to the inch). A4 is 595×842, Letter is 612×792. This is the quickest way to check what a document was laid out for before printing it.
Export if you need a record
The table can be saved as JSON or plain text, which is useful when you are documenting a set of files rather than checking one.
About the PDF Metadata Viewer
Every PDF carries a block of information about itself that is never shown when you read it. This tool displays that block. It runs in your browser and reads only — nothing is written back to your file.
What is in there
| Field | What it records |
|---|---|
| Title, Subject, Keywords | Descriptive fields, often left empty or filled with a template value |
| Author | Usually the account name of whoever created the document |
| Creator | The application the content came from — Word, InDesign, a scanner |
| Producer | The library or driver that actually wrote the PDF |
| Created / Modified | When the file was made and last changed |
| Pages | Page count |
| Page size | Dimensions of the first page, in points |
Fields with no value are omitted from the table rather than displayed empty, so the list you see is the metadata the document genuinely has.
Why anyone checks
Before sending a document out. Author fields carry personal names, and Creator fields carry the name of internal software. A PDF exported from a template can still name whoever built the template. It is worth knowing what you are attaching.
To work out where a file came from. Producer strings are specific: a PDF written by a scanner, by Word, by LaTeX and by a browser’s print-to-PDF all look different. When a document’s origin is disputed, this is usually the first place to look.
To check dates. Creation and modification timestamps are recorded independently of the filesystem, so they survive copying, emailing and re-downloading in a way that file dates do not.
To confirm page geometry. Page size in points tells you what a document was laid out for before you print it and find out the hard way.
Reading the page size
PDF measures in points, at 72 to the inch. The common sizes:
| Paper | Points | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 595 × 842 | 210 × 297 |
| Letter | 612 × 792 | 216 × 279 |
| A5 | 420 × 595 | 148 × 210 |
| A3 | 842 × 1191 | 297 × 420 |
A page size that matches none of these usually means the PDF was built from an image, where the page took the picture’s dimensions rather than a paper size.
What this tool does not do
It reads metadata. It does not edit or strip it. If your aim is to remove personal information before sending a file, this tool tells you what is there — removing it needs an editor that can write the fields back.
It also shows the standard document information fields, not the XMP packet that some applications add alongside them. The two usually agree; where they disagree, a forensic tool is the right instrument, not this one.
The work happens in this browser tab. Your file is read from disk into the page’s memory, processed there and written back out — it is never transmitted, so there is no upload wait and no copy of your document on any server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit or remove the metadata?
No — this tool reads only. It will show you exactly what a file carries, which is the first step, but removing personal fields before sending a document needs an editor that can write them back.
Why are some fields missing from the table?
Empty fields are hidden rather than shown blank, so the list reflects what the document genuinely contains. Many PDFs fill in only Producer and the dates.
What is the difference between Creator and Producer?
Creator is the application the content came from — Word, InDesign, a scanner. Producer is the library or driver that actually wrote the PDF file. A Word document printed to PDF will name both.
Are the dates reliable?
They are recorded inside the file, so unlike filesystem dates they survive copying, emailing and re-downloading. They can still be altered deliberately by software that writes the PDF, so treat them as strong evidence rather than proof.
What does the page size in points mean?
PDF measures in points at 72 to the inch. A4 is 595×842 and Letter is 612×792. A size matching neither usually means the PDF was built from an image and took the picture’s dimensions.
Does it show XMP metadata?
It shows the standard document information fields. Some applications also write an XMP packet alongside them; the two normally agree, and where they do not you want a forensic tool rather than this one.
Is my PDF uploaded to check it?
No. It is read in your browser, which matters here more than usual — metadata is precisely the part of a document people inspect because it may be sensitive.
Can I save the results?
Yes, the table can be exported as JSON or plain text. That is useful when you are documenting a set of files rather than checking a single one.