See and remove the hidden details in a PDF
A PDF often carries details you never see on the page: the author's name from the computer that made it, the software, when it was created and last changed, and inside photos, the camera and sometimes the place they were taken. PDF Desk shows you what is there and saves a copy without it, all in your browser.
Free. No account. Files are opened inside your browser and never uploaded.
What it finds
| Detail | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Title, author, subject, keywords | Filled in by Word, Excel or whatever made the file, often with your name or your company's |
| Made with, PDF made by | The program and version that created the file |
| Created, last changed | Dates and times, down to the minute |
| XML metadata record | A second copy of the above, sometimes with editing history |
| Adobe app data | Private data Illustrator and Photoshop keep in the file |
| Camera details in photos | EXIF and IPTC inside JPEG pictures: camera, time taken, sometimes GPS location |
How to remove them
- Click Open a PDF to check above, then the big button on the page that opens, and choose the file. Its hidden details are listed straight away.
- Click Download clean copy.
The clean copy says only that it was made by PDF Desk, and when. Camera records are cut out of the photos without re-compressing them, so the pictures look exactly the same. This happens on every download from PDF Desk, not only this one, so anything you edit, sign or merge here is cleaned too.
What stays
Everything you can see on the page stays, including comments and form fields, because they are part of the document. A name typed on the page is content, not metadata: use redaction to remove that.
Free. No account. Files are opened inside your browser and never uploaded.