PDF Metadata Editor

How the PDF Metadata Editor works

Every PDF carries a small set of document properties alongside its pages. Most people never see them, but plenty of software does. The title is what a browser tab shows when the PDF opens, what Google often uses as the result heading, and what screen readers announce first. The author and keywords feed desktop search and document management systems. When a file was exported from a template, these fields often say something embarrassing, like "Microsoft Word - Draft v7 FINAL" or the name of a colleague who left two years ago.

What the PDF metadata editor changes

The six fields are stored in the document information dictionary, defined in the PDF standard since version 1.0.

The tool also stamps a new modification date. Pages, fonts, images, links, bookmarks and form fields are copied across unchanged, so the edited file looks and behaves exactly like the original.

Why the title field matters on the web

When a PDF is linked from a website, search engines index it as a page in its own right. With no title set, they fall back to the first large text they can find or the file name, which is how results like "untitled-1.pdf" end up in search listings. A clear title of 50 to 60 characters gives the PDF a sensible heading in results and in the browser tab. Accessibility checkers for PDF/UA and WCAG also flag a missing title, because a screen reader user otherwise hears the file name.

The XMP problem, and how it is handled

Since PDF 1.4, files can carry a second copy of the same properties as an XMP packet, an XML block in the document catalogue. When both exist, modern readers trust the XMP version. That causes a classic trap: an editor changes the old information dictionary, but Acrobat and many other readers keep showing the stale title from XMP.

This tool removes the XMP packet when it saves an edited copy, so the values you typed are the only ones left and every reader shows them. The stats tell you whether a packet was present. XMP can also hold extra data, such as rights statements or PDF/A identification; if that matters for your file, keep the original and do not use the edited copy for archiving.

How to use it

1. Drop the PDF in. The current values appear in the stats with nothing yet changed.
2. Type into any field you want to replace. Blank fields keep the current value.
3. To remove a value completely, type a single hyphen in that field.
4. Check the stats: changed fields show the old value in brackets.
5. Download the edited copy.

Tips and pitfalls

Keywords have no fixed format. Commas are the most widely understood separator, and most document systems split on them.

Creator and Producer describe the software, not the person. Changing them is harmless, but some print shops look at Producer to spot files from tools that cause print problems, so honest values help them.

Signed PDFs. Editing any part of a digitally signed PDF breaks the signature. Edit before signing, never after.

Removing information. To strip every property, including custom fields, at once rather than edit them, use the PDF metadata remover instead.

How to read the result

Each field is listed with its value in the download. Fields you changed show "(was ...)" with the old value. The stats also show how many fields changed, whether an XMP packet was removed, and the new file size. If no field differs from the original, no download is offered.

Related tools