Remove Author from PDF
Strip author names, creator applications, company info, and hidden document properties from PDF files — instantly, in your browser.
#Remove Author from PDF
Strip author names, creator applications, company info, and hidden document properties from PDF files — instantly, in your browser.
##Your name is in every PDF
PDF files embed the author name from your computer's user account or the application that created them. When you send a PDF externally, the recipient can see exactly who created it — and every person who edited it.
⚠ Sending a 'confidential' document? The author field reveals exactly who wrote it and where they work.
##Your tools reveal your setup
The creator application and PDF producer fields reveal your operating system, software version, and the exact workflow used to generate the file. This is a goldmine for social engineering.
⚠ Attackers can target vulnerabilities specific to your OS and software versions.
##When the document was created and changed
Creation and modification timestamps reveal your work patterns, timezone, and how long a document has been in development. A 'freshly prepared' report might show a creation date from months ago.
⚠ Timestamps can contradict claims about when work was done — risky in legal and compliance contexts.
##Your organization's fingerprint
Company name, department, document classification, and custom properties set by your IT department are all embedded. Templates often carry metadata from whoever created the template originally.
⚠ Recycled templates can leak another organization's name and internal classifications into your documents.
##What's hidden in your files
| Category | Field | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| Author & Identity | Author | Sarah Mitchell |
| Title | Q4 Revenue Forecast — CONFIDENTIAL | |
| Subject | Internal Finance Review | |
| Keywords | revenue, forecast, board, confidential | |
| Software & Producer | Creator | Microsoft Word 2024 |
| Producer | macOS 14.3 Quartz PDFContext | |
| Dates & Timestamps | Created | 2025-01-08T09:14:22Z |
| Modified | 2025-02-18T16:42:07Z | |
| Custom Properties | Company | Nexus Financial Group |
| Department | Corporate Strategy | |
| Classification | Internal Only |
##Supported formats
##Why remove author information from PDFs?
PDF documents store author names, company information, and creation details in hidden metadata fields. This data is set automatically by your operating system and the software used to create the file — most people never realize it's there.
When sharing PDFs with clients, partners, or the public, this metadata can reveal sensitive information: who wrote the document, which company produced it, what software was used, and exactly when it was created and last modified.
For legal professionals, this is particularly critical. Court filings, contracts, and privileged documents should never carry metadata that could reveal work product or privileged communications. For businesses, leaked company names in recycled templates can be embarrassing or even breach confidentiality agreements.
MetaStrip removes all author and document metadata from PDFs instantly, directly in your browser. Your files are never uploaded — processing happens entirely on your device using pdf-lib, an open-source JavaScript PDF library.