Strip PDF metadata online

Why PDF “author” and dates still leak

PDF author names and dates leak because many apps fill the Info dictionary (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, ModDate) and an XMP metadata stream automatically, and DropMeta deletes those Info entries and the XMP metadata in your browser without uploading the PDF or asking for an account. A PDF’s visible pages are not the whole story. The Info dictionary can store Author, Title, Creator, Producer and creation/modification dates. Many export pipelines fill those fields automatically from the logged-in user or the authoring app. Recipients who open Document Properties — or run a metadata tool — can see who produced the file and when, even if you scrubbed logos from the page content.

DropMeta clears those common fields in your browser. Choose a PDF, strip, download. Nothing is uploaded. No account. If you only need to remove PDF author before sending a proposal, invoice or anonymous feedback pack, this page is the dedicated path.

Catalog XMP — clean or block, not “mostly clean”

When a PDF contains Catalog XMP, DropMeta deletes the catalog’s Metadata entry and every object typed as Metadata before saving, and if the catalog still references XMP afterwards it stops with an error and offers no download, so you never receive a PDF that looks cleaned while XMP remains. Some PDFs also carry Catalog XMP — a parallel metadata packet that can repeat identity or tooling info. When XMP is present, DropMeta attempts to remove it. If XMP cannot be removed cleanly, we error and block download. We would rather refuse than hand you a file that still looks “stripped” while XMP remains. Same philosophy as image location re-parse: fail closed. Background: Why verify after stripping metadata. Step-by-step for author-only workflows: Strip PDF author without upload.

Encrypted PDFs are out of scope (on purpose)

DropMeta rejects encrypted or password-protected PDFs with an error instead of stripping them, because it loads every PDF without any option to ignore encryption and never tries to unlock it, so decrypt the file in a tool you trust first and then strip the unlocked copy here. Password-protected or encrypted PDFs are rejected. DropMeta never unlocks encryption and never ignores it to peek inside. If your file is encrypted, decrypt it yourself in a tool you trust, then bring the unlocked PDF here — or keep using a local desktop workflow. That boundary is intentional: a browser privacy tool should not pretend to be a password cracker.

Client-side vs upload PDF cleaners

A client-side PDF cleaner like DropMeta reads, strips and saves the PDF entirely inside your browser tab, so contracts, medical forms or NDA material never reach a server, while upload-based PDF metadata removers must receive the full document before they can clear its author, dates or XMP. Upload-based PDF “metadata removers” send the full document to a server. That may be fine for public brochures; it is a poor fit for contracts, medical forms, unpublished manuscripts or anything under NDA. DropMeta keeps the bytes in this tab. Compare models: Client-side vs upload metadata removers. For power-user CLI coverage beyond guided browser strip, see DropMeta vs ExifTool.

What this page does not claim

DropMeta clears PDF document properties and XMP metadata only, and it does not redact visible page text or images, remove annotations or form data, or inspect embedded files, so a metadata strip is not a substitute for redaction when content on the page itself must disappear. Clearing Info fields and Catalog XMP (when removable) is not the same as redacting text on the page, flattening annotations you still need, or wiping every vendor-specific stream that might exist in exotic PDFs. If content on the page must disappear, use a redaction tool. If you need absolute certainty for a high-stakes archive, verify the download with an independent PDF inspector after strip — and treat a blocked download as a signal to use another workflow, not as a bug to ignore.

Also cleaning photos? Remove metadata from photos on the same client-side stack.

How to strip a PDF here

To strip a PDF here, drop or choose the file, run strip so the Info fields and XMP metadata are removed locally, and download the result, knowing that encrypted PDFs are rejected and that if Catalog XMP cannot be removed cleanly you get an error instead of a download.

1. Open this page and drop or choose a PDF.
2. Run strip — author, title, creator, producer and dates clear locally; Catalog XMP is removed when present and removable.
3. Download only if verification succeeds. If XMP cannot be removed cleanly, you get an error and no download — that is expected, not a hang.

Processing never leaves this tab. For author-focused steps with screenshots-level guidance, use Strip PDF author without upload.