Remove metadata from PDF files — author, software & dates
Word processors quietly stamp your name, company and editing history into every PDF they export. Cut it all out at the structure level — visible content untouched, nothing uploaded.
ScrubExif runs entirely in your browser — no upload, no server, works offline.
What's removed — and what stays
Removed from your PDF
- Author, title, subject & keywords (Info dictionary)
- Creation & modification dates
- Producer / Creator — which software made the file
- XMP metadata block (XML history sidecar)
- Old revision remnants from incremental saves
Kept intact
- Every page — text, fonts, images, layout byte-for-byte
- Page count & order
- Visible comments & form fields (part of the document)
- Bookmarks & internal links
Three moments you'll want this
Sending a résumé
"Anonymized" CVs still carry the author's name in file properties. HR software reads it — so do hiring managers who check.
Submitting a manuscript or bid
Double-blind peer reviews and sealed tenders have been compromised by PDF metadata. Clean copies are the professional standard.
Delivering client work
Agencies don't need clients seeing which designer, draft count and internal file paths went into their deliverable.
Curious what your PDF admits first? Inspect it in the viewer → — or read how PDF metadata works.
Frequently asked questions
What metadata does a PDF contain?
Two layers: the document information dictionary (title, author, subject, keywords, creation and modification dates, plus the Producer and Creator fields naming the software that wrote the file) and an XMP metadata block (an XML sidecar that can hold even richer history). Word processors fill these automatically on export — including your name and company unless you blank them first.
Will cleaning change how my PDF looks?
No. Only the metadata structures are touched — every page, font, image and text run is preserved exactly as it was. The cleaned file prints and displays identically.
What are "old revision remnants"?
PDFs saved with incremental updates (common when a file is edited and re-saved, or digitally reviewed) physically keep earlier versions of the document inside the same file — including content you deleted. Our tool rewrites the file from its live structure only, so those buried remnants are gone.
Does this remove comments, form entries or attachments?
Not in this version. Comments (annotations) and form field entries are part of the visible document, so they are kept — clean them in your editor before exporting if needed. Embedded file attachments and annotation scrubbing are on the roadmap.
My PDF is password-protected — will it work?
Open the file with its password first and save an unprotected copy (or use Print → Save as PDF), then drop that copy here. Encrypted files are rejected with a clear message rather than partially processed.