What your PDF can say about you

A PDF’s first page may look anonymous while its document properties name an author or creation application. Those properties are useful when you are managing documents, but not always when you are sharing them publicly.

Two common places for metadata

The document Info dictionary may store title, author, subject, keywords, software and dates. XMP streams can store a richer description. rmmetadata removes the Info dictionary and XMP streams, then rewrites the PDF.

Content is a separate concern

Names in page text, annotation authors, filled forms, attachments and metadata inside embedded images may remain. A document metadata cleaner is not a redaction tool. Use a dedicated redaction workflow to remove sensitive page content rather than merely covering it with a rectangle.

Signed and encrypted documents

Changing a signed PDF can invalidate its signature. This cleaner rejects recognized signature fields and encrypted PDFs. If you need a shareable copy, obtain an unsigned and unencrypted version through an authorized workflow.

Inspect the result

Keep your original. After cleaning a copy, open it in a PDF viewer, check its pages and inspect document properties. The rewrite can change file size. Test forms and attachments separately before distributing a complex document.