Edit PDF Metadata — Free Online Tool to Change Title, Author, Keywords & Custom Properties

What Is PDF Metadata?

PDF metadata is a set of descriptive properties embedded inside a PDF file. This information is stored in the PDF's Document Information Dictionary and includes fields like title, author, subject, and creation date. PDF viewers (Adobe Acrobat, Preview, browser built-in viewers) and operating systems (Windows File Explorer, macOS Finder) read and display this metadata.

Metadata is also indexed by search engines. When a PDF is hosted on a website, Google and Bing may use the document's title, author, and keywords metadata to determine relevance and display information in search results.

Example: When you right-click a PDF in Windows Explorer and select Properties > Details, the information displayed — Title, Author, Subject, Tags — comes from the PDF's metadata fields.

PDF Metadata Fields Reference

Core Features

How to Edit PDF Metadata?

Step 1: Upload Your PDF

Drag and drop a PDF file onto the upload area, or click to browse your device. The tool accepts any .pdf file. Once loaded, the existing metadata values are populated into the form fields for editing.

Step 2: Edit Standard Metadata Fields

Modify any of the 8 standard fields:

• Title — Set the document title that appears in PDF readers and search results

• Author — Set the creator's name or organization

• Subject — Write a brief description of the document's purpose

• Keywords — Enter comma-separated keywords for indexing and search

• Creator — The original authoring application (e.g., "Microsoft Word")

• Producer — The PDF generation tool (e.g., "Adobe Acrobat")

• Creation Date — Set using the date-time picker

• Modification Date — Set using the date-time picker

Leave any field blank to clear it from the PDF's metadata.

Step 3: Add Custom Properties (Optional)

Click "Add Custom Field" to create custom key-value metadata entries:

• Key — The property name (e.g., Department, Project, Classification, Version)

• Value — The property value (e.g., Marketing, Project Alpha, Confidential, 2.1)

Add as many custom fields as needed. Remove any field by clicking the delete button.

Step 4: Download the Updated PDF

Click "Update Metadata & Download". The tool modifies the PDF's metadata in your browser and downloads the updated file. The original PDF content, layout, and formatting remain unchanged — only the metadata properties are modified.

Common Use Cases

Remove personal information: Before sharing a PDF externally, remove or change the author name and creator fields to protect privacy.

SEO optimization for web-hosted PDFs: Set accurate title, subject, and keyword metadata so search engines can better index and rank PDF documents published on websites.

Document management and cataloging: Standardize metadata across a document library (consistent author names, department tags, project identifiers) for searchability in DAM systems.

Academic and research publishing: Set proper title, author, subject, and keyword metadata for research papers, theses, and reports submitted to repositories and journals.

Legal and compliance: Add custom metadata fields for document classification, retention period, case number, or regulatory compliance tags.

Archival standards: Set accurate creation and modification dates, and add descriptive metadata, for documents submitted to archives or records management systems.

Privacy Statement

No data is transmitted to any server. No files are stored or logged. The PDF content, pages, images, and formatting remain completely unchanged — only the metadata properties are modified.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• How do I edit PDF metadata?

  Upload your PDF, modify any metadata field (title, author, keywords, dates, custom properties), then click "Update Metadata & Download." The tool writes the new metadata into the PDF and downloads the updated file.

• What metadata fields can I edit?

  You can edit 8 standard fields: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, Creation Date, and Modification Date. You can also add unlimited custom key-value metadata fields.

• Is my PDF secure when editing metadata?

  All metadata editing happens locally in your web browser using pdf-lib. Your PDF is never uploaded to any server. No data leaves your device.

• What are custom metadata fields?

  Custom fields let you add your own key-value properties to the PDF. For example, you could add Department: Marketing or Case Number: 2025-0412. These are stored in the PDF's Document Information Dictionary alongside the standard fields.

• Does editing metadata change the PDF content?

  No. Only the metadata properties are modified. The document's pages, text, images, formatting, and layout remain completely unchanged.

• Where does PDF metadata appear?

  PDF metadata appears in file properties (Windows Explorer, macOS Finder), in PDF reader title bars and document properties dialogs, and in search engine results for web-hosted PDFs. Document management systems also use metadata for indexing and search.

• Can I remove metadata from a PDF?

  Yes. Clear any field by deleting its content in the form. When you download the updated PDF, those fields will be empty in the metadata.

• What is the difference between Creator and Producer?

  Creator is the application that originally authored the document (e.g., "Microsoft Word"). Producer is the application that generated the final PDF file (e.g., "Adobe Acrobat PDF Library"). These are often different when a document is created in one application and exported to PDF by another.

• Can I change the creation date of a PDF?

  Yes. Use the Creation Date datetime picker to set any date and time. Similarly, you can modify the Modification Date.

• Does Google use PDF metadata for SEO?

  Google may use the PDF's Title metadata as the title in search results, and Keywords metadata can help with relevance signals. Setting accurate, descriptive metadata on web-hosted PDFs is a recommended SEO practice.

• What happens to the original PDF?

  The original file on your device is never modified. The tool creates and downloads a new PDF with the updated metadata. Your original file remains unchanged.

• Does this work on mobile devices?

  Yes. The tool works in any modern web browser on desktop, tablet, or mobile devices.