2022-11-28 10:53:21 • Filed to: How-To-Windows • Proven solutions
Metadata in a PDF file includes information such as the title, author name, the date created, modification date, subject date, an application which was used to create this PDF file, size of PDF file, number of pages in the PDF file, and all the tags associated with the file. Essentially, Metadata contains all the properties of the file. However, many people do not know how to access or remove Metadata from their files. This step-by-step guide will help you to remove metadata from PDF files. Aside from Adobe Acrobat Pro, Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor is another PDF metadata editor that supports the removal of metadata from PDF documents.
Like any other file, PDF files have properties and attributes that are unique to the file. In other words, metadata is the data about the data in the file and the file itself. Some metadata elements have been listed below:
PDF metadata is useful for several reasons, such as search engine visibility, compliance with standards such as ADA and HHS, better identification of the document and the source of the content, etc. However, we sometimes need to remove PDF metadata for one reason or other. Let’s look at some of these reasons in the next section.
PDFelement is not only more cost-effective than Adobe Acrobat Pro, but it is also easier to use. Users will not have to navigate through complicated settings. They can remove metadata using the backspace button on their keyboard. Below, we have the step-by-step guide on how you can remove metadata from your PDF file using PDFelement.
Open a PDF document in PDFelement by clicking the "+" button on the home window.
Go to the "File" tab and choose the "Properties" > "Description" option. You can then view the metadata of the PDF document. You can edit and delete metadata as you want. Select the information that you want to delete. Using the "Backspace" or "Delete" key on the keyboard, you can easily remove the metadata information. PDFelement also allows you to edit PDF metadata on Mac as well. It also works as a PDF metadata viewer.
Info Dictionary and Metadata Streams are the common mechanisms available within PDF files to add metadata. Since PDF version 1.0, the Info Dictionary (or info dict) has been included, which includes the following general metadata information about a PDF file:
Metadata Streams is a more elaborate mechanism that has been embedded in PDF documents. XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) is used to structure a metadata stream. XMP is a technology developed by Adobe as an ISO-standard (ISO 16684-1) in order to embed metadata into files, not only for PDF but also for JPG and SVG.
PDFYeah is a free online tool designed to remove all PDF metadata from uploaded files. It works on any modern browser, uploads files via a secure HTTPS connection, and automatically deletes your files from its servers within a few hours. Here are the steps to remove PDF metadata online for free with PDFYeah:
This feature is only present in the Pro version, so you will need to purchase that version before following the below steps. After purchasing the software, download and install it on your computer. Run it as an Administrator and open the PDF file from which you want to remove the metadata.
Click on the "File" option in the top left corner, and then select the "Properties" option in the drop-down list.
After that, in the Document Properties window, please tap on the "Additional Metadata..." button. Then you can see the metadata information about the document, and you can edit or remove the metadata information. Once done, you can click the "OK" button on the bottom.
After removing the metadata, don’t forget to save your PDF file. Use the "Ctrl + S" keyboard shortcut, or click on the "File" tab and press "Save" to save this PDF file.
PDF metadata removal is essentially a security action, so you need a tool that can offer other security features to further protect your PDF file and its contents.
Online services are great for this purpose but most tools will only allow you to remove the metadata, not apply other security protocols such as passwords or redaction. In addition, even if the website itself is secure, your Internet connection may not be, especially if you’re on a public Wi-Fi hotspot or a shared computer.
For these and other reasons, we recommend a proper desktop editor such as PDFelement. Not only can you view and edit PDF metadata to remove it, but you can also perform the following actions on the same file:
Since PDF files are typically distributed to wide audiences online or via email, some of the information about the file may not be suitable for such distribution. For the content within the PDF, redaction can be used, but since PDF metadata is not visible within the file, it may need to be removed using a specialized tool. Some of the reasons to remove PDF metadata include:
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