VSThiran

PDF & Files

Free PDF Metadata Editor

Free to useNo sign-up requiredNo watermarkRuns in your browser

Every PDF carries a set of document properties: a title, an author, the software that made it, and often more. This free tool shows you what yours says and lets you change it or clear it out.

The reason to care is that these fields travel with the file. A document written from a template can arrive at a client still carrying the previous client's name in the title, or the name of whoever originally set the template up, and neither is visible on the page.

How this tool works

  1. Open your PDF

    The existing properties are read and filled in immediately. Fields the document does not set are shown as empty.

  2. Edit what you need

    Title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer are all editable. Keywords are separated by commas.

  3. Or clear everything

    One button empties every field, for when you want a document to carry nothing about where it came from.

  4. Save

    The properties are written into the file. The document's pages are untouched.

How it works

These fields live in the document information dictionary, a small structure separate from the page content. Changing them rewrites that structure and nothing else, so the pages, their text and their images are exactly as they were.

The modification date is set to now when you save, which is honest: the file has just been changed. The creation date is shown but not editable — pdf-lib can set it, but a document claiming to have been made before it was is a lie the tool should not help anyone tell.

Clearing the fields removes what the document says about itself. It does not remove anything printed on the page, and it does not touch any XMP metadata a publishing tool may also have embedded.

What each field is for

TitleShown in the reader’s window title and browser tab
AuthorThe person or organisation responsible
SubjectA one-line description of what the document is
KeywordsComma-separated terms, used by some search systems
CreatorThe application the document was written in
ProducerThe library that produced the PDF file itself

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is opened and changed by this page on your own device, using your browser. It is never sent to VSThiran and no copy is stored on any server. It is held only in the tab you have open, which is also why reloading the page clears it.

Does clearing these fields make the document anonymous?

It removes what the document says about itself in these fields, which is the part most people mean. It does not remove a name printed on the page, text in the content, an embedded XMP metadata block, or anything recorded in an image the document contains.

Why can I not change the creation date?

Because backdating a document is the main reason anyone would want to, and helping with that is not something this tool will do. The modification date is set to the moment you save, which is accurate.

Where do I see these properties in a PDF reader?

Most readers show them under File and then Properties or Document Properties. The title is also what appears in the window title bar or the browser tab when the document is open.

Can I use another PDF tool on the result without downloading it first?

Yes. Once a PDF is open, the other PDF tools pick it up as it currently stands, so you can organise, watermark, number, sign and compress a document from a single upload and download once at the end. Conversions to Word, Excel or images produce a different kind of file, so those finish the sequence rather than continuing it.