PDF Metadata Viewer

Inspect any PDF file: view page count, dimensions, author, title, creation date and more � locally.

How to Use

Upload a PDF file

Click 'Choose File' or drag any PDF into the viewer to begin metadata extraction.

Review document information fields

See Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, and date timestamps displayed.

Check page dimensions and count

View the number of pages and dimensions (in PDF points) for each page in the document.

Note privacy-sensitive fields

Identify any author names, organization names, or software data embedded before sharing the document.

What is PDF Metadata?

PDF files contain hidden metadata fields such as the document title, author name, software used to create it, and timestamps. This information is embedded by the application that created the PDF and can be used for document management, indexing, and auditing.

Real-World Examples & Use Cases

Document Privacy and Metadata Scrubbing

PDFs created by Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, or other office software automatically embed the document author's real name, company name, and the exact software version used to create it. Before publishing a PDF publicly, sharing it with external parties, or submitting it anonymously, checking the metadata reveals what personally identifiable and organizationally sensitive information is embedded. Legal professionals distributing court filings, researchers submitting double-blind review manuscripts, and businesses sharing pricing documents all need to verify and clean metadata before distribution.

Document Authenticity and Provenance Verification

Investigators, compliance teams, and archivists use PDF metadata to verify document provenance. The creation date and modification date fields show when a document was originally created and when it was last changed — discrepancies between claimed creation dates and metadata timestamps can indicate document forgery. The PDF version and producer software fields help investigators understand the technical lineage of a document. Metadata is one layer of document authenticity analysis used alongside digital signatures and file hash verification.

Digital Asset Management and Cataloging

Organizations managing large PDF libraries use metadata to organize, search, and categorize documents. A document management system that ingests PDFs reads embedded metadata to automatically populate Title, Author, Keywords, and Subject fields without requiring manual re-entry. Library cataloging systems use PDF metadata for academic paper, legal document, and technical report databases. IT teams auditing an organization's document library use metadata viewers to identify documents from former employees, outdated software versions, or inconsistently created files.

Print Production Verification

Print production workflows require PDFs with specific page dimensions (bleed areas, trim sizes, safe zones). Print vendors and pre-press technicians verify that submitted PDFs have the correct MediaBox and TrimBox dimensions before proceeding to plate-making. A PDF intended for A4 print should show page dimensions of 595 × 842 points (210 × 297 mm at 72 PPI). Metadata viewers that display page dimensions help designers verify documents from clients or content teams before costly print runs.

How It Works

PDF metadata structure and standards: PDF information dictionary (Document Info): Stored in the PDF trailer object: /Info {...} Standard fields: /Title — document title string /Author — author name /Subject — document subject/description /Keywords — searchable keywords /Creator — original application that created the document /Producer — PDF producer/converter (e.g. Adobe PDF Library) /CreationDate — (D:YYYYMMDDHHmmSSOHH'mm) /ModDate — last modification date (same format) Date format example: D:20240115143052+05'30' = 2024-01-15 14:30:52 UTC+5:30 XMP metadata: Alternative/supplementary metadata format Stored as XML in an embedded data stream Contains Dublin Core, XMP Basic, XMP Media Management properties More structured and extensible than Info dictionary Page dimensions (PDF user units = points): 1 point = 1/72 inch = 0.3528 mm A4 = 595 × 842 pts Letter = 612 × 792 pts Legal = 612 × 1008 pts PDF.js extraction: const doc = await pdfjsLib.getDocument(arrayBuffer).promise; const meta = await doc.getMetadata(); const page = await doc.getPage(1); const viewport = page.getViewport({ scale: 1 });

Frequently Asked Questions

What metadata fields can reveal personally identifiable information?▼

The most privacy-sensitive fields are: Author (stores the user account name from the computer that created the document), Creator application (reveals the exact software and version, e.g. 'Microsoft Word 2021 for Windows'), modification timestamps (reveal editing timeline), and sometimes Custom Properties (added by enterprise document management systems that include employee IDs, department names, or internal document codes). Before distributing PDFs externally, always check these fields.

Can I edit or remove PDF metadata using this tool?▼

This tool reads and displays metadata but does not modify it. To remove or edit metadata, use: Adobe Acrobat (File > Properties > Description), QPDF command-line tool with --update-info flag, Microsoft Word (before exporting to PDF: File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document), or Sejda PDF Editor. macOS Preview can also strip some metadata when re-exporting a PDF. For complete metadata removal, use qpdf or exiftool in a terminal command.

What is the difference between page MediaBox and TrimBox dimensions?▼

PDFs can have multiple page boundary boxes: MediaBox defines the full physical page size including all content. TrimBox defines the final trimmed page after cutting in print production. BleedBox extends slightly beyond TrimBox for print bleed areas. CropBox defines the visible area in PDF viewers. Consumer documents typically only have a MediaBox. Print-production PDFs have all boxes defined, with TrimBox being the final printed page size that print operators need to verify.

Why does the Creation Date sometimes show a date before the file was created?▼

The metadata creation date reflects when the original source document was created, not necessarily when the PDF was exported. A Word document created in 2018 and exported to PDF in 2024 will show a 2018 creation date. Additionally, metadata can be manually set to any date value by the application or by deliberate manipulation. The file system's 'date created' attribute and the PDF metadata creation date are independent values that can differ significantly.

What does the PDF version number mean?▼

PDF version indicates which specification features the document uses: PDF 1.0–1.4 are legacy versions (1993–2001). PDF 1.5 introduced cross-reference streams and object streams (2003). PDF 1.6 added AES encryption (2004). PDF 1.7 was standardized as ISO 32000-1 (2008) and is the most widely supported version. PDF 2.0 (ISO 32000-2, 2017) adds new security and accessibility features. Older PDF viewers may not support features from newer PDF versions properly.

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