What Is PDF Metadata?

Every PDF file contains a metadata dictionary — a set of key-value pairs describing the document. Standard fields include: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator (the application that made the original document), Producer (the PDF writer library), Creation Date, and Modification Date.

This metadata is visible in any PDF viewer under File → Properties (or Document Properties). It's also read by search engines, document management systems, and e-discovery tools.

Common Reasons to Edit PDF Metadata

• Document management — add keywords so internal search tools can find the document
• Privacy before sharing — remove your name, company, or system information from the Author and Creator fields
• Correct wrong information — PDFs exported from Word often have the author name wrong (set to the Windows username)
• Compliance — some document archiving standards require specific metadata fields to be populated
• Branding — set correct company name, document title, and creation date for professional documents

Hidden Metadata: What Tools Often Miss

Beyond the standard metadata dictionary, PDFs can also contain XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) data — an Adobe-created XML-based metadata format that can carry additional properties. Our editor shows and edits both the standard InfoDict and synchronises changes to the XMP block, ensuring consistency in both locations.

Metadata and Privacy

Before sharing a PDF publicly, review its metadata. The Creator field often reveals the application and operating system used to create it. The Author field may contain your full name or username. For public PDFs (press releases, product brochures, published reports), clear personal identifiers from metadata before distribution.