PDF & Files
PDF Metadata Viewer
Free to useNo sign-up requiredNo watermarkRuns in your browser
Every PDF carries a small set of properties alongside its pages: a title, an author, the application that created it, the library that wrote the file, and the dates it was created and last changed. They are invisible when you read the document, but they travel with it when you send it - which is why it is worth checking them before a CV, a tender or a legal document leaves your hands.
This viewer reads those properties and shows them in plain language, with the dates converted to your local time and the raw stored value alongside. It also reports the PDF version, whether the file is encrypted or restricted, and whether it contains XMP metadata, tags or form fields. Your file is processed locally in your browser and is not uploaded.
How this tool works
Choose a PDF
Drop it on the box or click to browse. Only one file at a time.
Enter a password if asked
Only for PDFs that need a password to open. It is used in your browser and never stored.
Read the properties
Missing fields show as “Not set”. Dates show in your local time with the raw value underneath.
Copy or download as JSON
Keep a record, or paste the properties into a ticket or a spreadsheet.
How it works
The file is opened with pdf.js, the PDF engine used by Firefox, running entirely inside this page. It reads the document information dictionary (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate and ModDate) and the document catalog, without drawing or parsing any page content, so even large files open quickly.
PDF dates are stored as text such as D:20240115093000+01’00’ - year, month, day, hours, minutes, seconds and an offset from UTC. The viewer converts that to your local time. A date stored without an offset is read as UTC, the same assumption most readers make, and the raw text is always shown so nothing is hidden.
The version comes from the %PDF-x.y header on the file’s first line. A later version in the catalog’s /Version entry takes precedence, because that is how an edited file records an upgrade without rewriting its header.
Common use cases
- Checking that a CV, proposal or report does not still carry a colleague’s name or an old template title before you send it.
- Finding out which application or printer driver produced a PDF when a portal rejects it.
- Confirming a PDF version before uploading to a system that only accepts PDF/A or an older version.
- Seeing whether a document is encrypted or has printing and copying restrictions.
- Recording when a document says it was created and last modified, as part of checking its history.
How this differs from the PDF inspector and the metadata editor
The PDF inspector looks at the pages: sizes, rotation, how much text can be extracted, images, links and whether the file is a scan. This viewer looks at the properties the file declares about itself - author, software, dates, version and security - and can open password-protected files locally.
To change or remove these properties, use the PDF metadata editor. This viewer never modifies the file.
What the dates can and cannot tell you
Creation and modification dates are written by whatever software saved the file, from the clock of the computer it ran on. They are useful evidence but not proof: a wrong system clock, a “print to PDF” step or an editing tool can all change or reset them, and some tools write no dates at all.
Worked examples
A CV that still names someone else
A CV built from a friend’s template shows Author: their name and Title: “Resume template”. The PDF metadata editor clears both before it is sent.
An owner-password PDF
A supplier’s price list opens without a password but shows “Encrypted (permissions restrictions)” with printing and copying blocked - the reason the print button is greyed out.
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Your file is processed locally in your browser and is not uploaded. There is no server-side step; the page reads the file with pdf.js on your device.
Why do some fields say “Not set”?
The document simply does not contain them. Many applications write only a Producer and dates, and some tools strip everything. “Not set” means the field is absent or empty, not that it could not be read.
What does “Encrypted (permissions restrictions)” mean?
The file has an owner password that limits actions such as printing or copying, but no password is needed to open it. A PDF that needs a password to open asks you for it; the password is used only in your browser.
Why does the creation date look wrong?
Dates come from the computer that saved the file. A wrong clock, a time zone the software did not record, or a conversion step that wrote a new date are the usual causes. The raw stored value is shown so you can see exactly what the file says.
What is XMP metadata?
A second, XML-based copy of the document properties that some applications (notably Adobe’s) embed. It can hold more detail, and it can disagree with the simple properties if one was edited without the other. The viewer tells you whether it is present.