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What hidden data is in your PDF, and how to remove it

Published · 2 min read

What you see on the page is only part of a PDF. The file can also carry your name, your company's software, creation dates, attached files and even scripts. None of it shows up when you read the document, but anyone who opens the file's properties can see it.

What a PDF can contain besides the page

  • Document properties: title, author, subject, keywords, the software that created the file and the creation and modification dates. Author is often filled in automatically from your computer's user name.
  • XMP metadata: a second, more detailed copy of these properties. Many readers show it in preference to the basic fields, so editing only one of them isn't enough.
  • Attachments: other files embedded inside the PDF, such as the spreadsheet a report was made from.
  • Scripts and automatic actions: JavaScript that runs when the file is opened, when a page is shown or when a form field changes.
  • Links: links to web pages or other files that can reveal internal addresses or track when a document is opened.

Remove it all with Sanitize PDF

Sanitize PDF removes the parts you can't see: JavaScript and automatic actions, embedded attachments, the author, software and other metadata, and, if you choose, links to web pages and other files. Text, images and layout stay as they are, and links that jump to another page in the same document keep working.

Form fields stay fillable, though calculations and validation scripts are removed. Like every local tool on LoverPDF, it runs in your browser, so the file you're cleaning never leaves your device.

Or edit the properties instead

Sometimes you want good metadata rather than none. Edit PDF metadata lets you set the title shown in browser tabs and search results, or fix the author name. When you edit, the old XMP copy is removed, so readers show your new values. Tick Remove all other metadata to delete every existing property, including the creating software and the dates, and keep only the fields you fill in.

Before you share a sensitive document

  1. Remove visible sensitive content first with Redact PDF. Redaction doesn't touch metadata or bookmarks.
  2. Run Sanitize PDF on the redacted copy to strip metadata, attachments and scripts.
  3. Open the result and check the document properties in your PDF reader to make sure nothing identifying is left.

A note on safety

Sanitizing removes the common ways a PDF runs code or contacts the internet, which makes files you receive safer to open and forward. It isn't an antivirus, though. Don't open files you don't trust.

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