Why scrub PDF metadata?
Metadata is a digital fingerprint. It can reveal more than just the author's name; it can expose your internal network paths, the exact version of software you use (a security risk), and the complete edit history of the document.
What gets removed?
- Personal Info: Author, Creator, Producer names.
- Timestamps: Creation date and Modification date.
- Software Data: Application versions and conversion tools.
- Embedded Data: XML packets, thumbnails, and hidden tags.
Common Questions
What if my PDF is Digitally Signed?
Important: If you edit or clean a digitally signed PDF (like a contract), the signature will be invalidated and removed.
Why? Digital signatures exist specifically to prove a file hasn't been touched. If a tool claims it can edit a PDF without breaking the signature, they are likely misleading you. We prioritize honesty: we clean the file, but we remove the signature to reflect that the content has changed.
Can they tell who touched the file last?
By default, PDF editors update the "Modification Date" and "Producer" fields every time a file is saved. This creates a trail. Using our Clean PDF Data tool resets these fields and removes the edit history, making it impossible to determine the last editor from the file data alone.
Legal & Ethical Use
Our tools are designed for privacy protection. Please check our Terms of Service. Do not use this tool for illegal activities. While we remove digital metadata, we cannot account for other forensic methods.