Every PDF carries information about itself: who created it, which software produced it, when it was made and changed, and sometimes a title or keywords added long ago. That information travels silently with the file. Remove Metadata clears the document properties and the XMP metadata stream, so the copy you share says as little as possible about its origins.
How to use Remove Metadata
- Add the PDF.
- Select Remove Metadata.
- Download the cleaned copy.
- Check its properties in your PDF viewer before sharing it.
What's removed
PDFs store metadata in two places.
- The information dictionary: The first is the document information dictionary, which holds the title, author, subject, keywords, creating app, producer and the created and modified dates.
- The XMP stream: The second is an XMP stream, a block of XML that often repeats those details and adds more.
- What VelloDoc clears: VelloDoc clears the information dictionary and deletes the XMP stream, then saves a clean copy.
- The pages are untouched: The pages themselves, including all of their text and images, are left unchanged.
What metadata removal doesn't touch
Metadata is only one way a document reveals information.
- What stays behind: Comments and annotations, form field values, attached files, bookmarks with revealing names, hidden layers and camera details inside embedded photos aren't removed, and names or numbers in the page content obviously remain.
- For sensitive page content, use Redact PDF.
- For a visible-only copy: For a copy that keeps only what's visible, Flatten PDF rebuilds pages as images.
- Where to read more: The PDF privacy guide covers each of these.
When to remove metadata
- Before publishing or submitting: Clean the metadata before publishing documents online, submitting work for anonymous or blind review, sending files outside your organization, or sharing documents whose authors shouldn't be named.
- To replace rather than delete: If you'd rather replace the properties than delete them, for example to give a published file a clear title, set new values afterwards with View / Edit Metadata. That also helps search engines and screen readers present the file properly.
- Adding a password afterwards: Protect PDF can then add a password, and the guide to removing metadata before sharing walks through a complete pre-sharing check.
When people use Remove Metadata
Publishing documents online
Remove internal author names and software details before a report goes on a public website.
Blind review submissions
Strip author metadata from papers and proposals submitted for anonymous review.
Sending files outside your organization
Share contracts and proposals without exposing who drafted them or when they were edited.
Limitations to know
Remove Metadata clears document properties and XMP data only. It doesn't remove comments, form values, attachments, bookmarks, hidden layers, image EXIF data or anything that appears in the page content itself.
Remove Metadata: common questions
What metadata does a PDF usually contain?
Typically a title, author, subject, keywords, the application that created it, the software that produced the PDF, and creation and modification dates. Some files also include XMP data with editing history.
Will removing metadata change my document?
No. Text, images and page layout stay exactly the same. Only the document properties are cleared.
Are comments and form data removed too?
No. Those are part of the document content. Flatten PDF bakes them into page images, and Redact PDF removes specific areas.
Can metadata be recovered after removal?
Not from the cleaned copy. Keep the original if you might need those details later.