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PDF Metadata Editor

Local

Set standard PDF metadata fields such as title and author

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Edit Metadata
Local
Tool Details
Input formatsPDF
Output formatPDF
Max file size100 MB
Max files1
ProcessingLocal
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Privacy First

Your files are processed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server.

How do I change the title and author of a PDF?

Load the PDF, type new values for any of the title, author, subject, keywords, or creator fields, and save. Fields you leave blank keep whatever they already contained. One important limitation: this tool sets metadata, it does not display the existing values or remove them, so use it to correct fields rather than to audit them. Everything is written locally.

About the PDF Metadata Editor

Set the PDF title, author, subject, keywords, and creator fields. Blank inputs leave their existing values unchanged; this tool does not display or remove existing metadata.

  • Replace a document title that still says Untitled or Microsoft Word - draft3.docx before the PDF goes to a client.
  • Overwrite an author or creator field that names an individual, a former employer or an internal template.
  • Set consistent title, subject and keyword values across a batch of deliverables so a document management system files them correctly.
  • Update fields without opening Acrobat, and without the file leaving your machine while it contains privileged content.

How to use the Edit Metadata tool

  1. 1

    Upload PDF file

    Select PDF file from your device or drag file into the upload area.

  2. 2

    Choose settings

    Choose settings such as Title, Author, Subject before processing.

  3. 3

    Update Metadata

    Run the Edit Metadata tool to create the PDF output.

  4. 4

    Download the result

    Download the finished file. The original file stays on your device and is not uploaded.

Why does the wrong author name keep appearing on your PDF?

Because the metadata was inherited from whatever produced the file, and almost nothing shows it to you. A PDF exported from a word processor typically carries the account name of whoever installed the software, the template’s original author, or a colleague whose document you copied. Portals, document management systems, and search engines read those fields even though the words never appear on the page — which is how an internal filename or a previous client’s name ends up visible outside your organisation.

Can this tool strip metadata rather than set it?

Not directly, and it is better to know that up front. Blank inputs are treated as no change, so leaving a field empty preserves its existing value instead of clearing it. There are two practical routes: overwrite a field with a deliberate placeholder value to displace what was there, or use Compress PDF with the remove-metadata option enabled, which clears the title, author, subject, keywords, and creator fields outright.

Which viewers and systems actually read these fields?

More than most people expect. The title is what a browser shows in the tab and what many viewers put in the window title bar, often in preference to the filename. Author and subject appear in file property panels and in document management search indexes. Keywords feed internal search in some systems. Setting the title in particular is a small, cheap improvement to how a PDF presents itself when it is opened away from the folder you organised it in.

Are my files uploaded when editing PDF metadata?

No. The fields are rewritten by code in your browser and the file is saved locally. That closes an obvious loop: the reason to edit metadata is usually that it currently reveals something you would rather not share, so uploading the document to a hosted editor would hand a stranger both the file and the exact fields you were trying to clean up.

How to do this offline, on the command line

exiftool reads as well as writes, which is the part this page deliberately does not do.

exiftool

macOS: brew install exiftool · Debian/Ubuntu: apt install libimage-exiftool-perl

exiftool -Title="Q3 Report" -Author="Finance" -overwrite_original report.pdf

Run exiftool report.pdf with no flags first to see every field currently present, including XMP entries this page does not touch.

exiftool (strip everything)

macOS: brew install exiftool · Debian/Ubuntu: apt install libimage-exiftool-perl

exiftool -all= -overwrite_original report.pdf

PDF metadata removal is incremental: exiftool appends a new revision, so add qpdf --linearize afterwards to drop the previous values from the file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which PDF metadata fields can I set?
You can set the document title, author, subject, keywords, and creator. This tool does not display the current values, and any input left blank keeps its existing value.
Why does PDF metadata matter?
Metadata can affect how documents appear in search results, document-management systems, and reader title bars. Replacing a stale title or author can make a published file easier to identify.
Does editing metadata change the document content?
No. Pages, text, and formatting are untouched; only the information fields stored alongside the document change.
Can anyone see what I put in my PDF’s metadata?
Yes — metadata travels with the file and can be visible to a recipient who checks document properties. This tool sets the fields locally without uploading the file, but you should use a PDF viewer to review the saved result.
Does this also rewrite XMP and custom metadata?
No. It writes the five document-information fields listed above and nothing else. A PDF can additionally carry an XMP packet, custom keys, comments, attachments and revision data, and none of those are touched — so a field you replace here may still appear in its XMP equivalent. The PDF Metadata Viewer reports whether the file has an XMP packet at all, which is the first thing to check.
How do I see the current values before changing them?
Use the PDF Metadata Viewer. This editor is write-only by design: it has no read path, so it cannot show you what a field currently contains. The viewer reads every field plus the PDF version, page sizes, fonts and permissions, and changes nothing.

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