Free Online PDF Metadata Viewer
Inspect PDF title, author, dates, creator, producer, and page count.
Choose a PDF to inspect. The file is never modified.
Upload a PDF to read its metadata.
Metadata is read from the PDF information dictionary. Some producers store properties only in XMP metadata, in which case those fields may appear empty here.
This viewer opens the file in read-only mode with pdf-lib. It never saves, rewrites, or re-encrypts the PDF. Password-protected documents can still be inspected in many cases, but their metadata may be inaccessible.
About the PDF Metadata Viewer
Every PDF can carry a small block of descriptive information known as the document information dictionary. It usually contains a title, an author, a subject, keywords, the application that created the file, the application that produced the final PDF, and timestamps for creation and last modification. This information is invisible on the printed page, but it matters for document management, archiving, search, and digital forensics. This viewer reads those properties and presents them in a clear table, together with practical facts such as page count, PDF version, file size, and whether the document is encrypted.
Where PDF metadata comes from
A PDF file begins with a header that names the format version, such as PDF-1.7. Somewhere in the file is a trailer that points to a catalog and an information dictionary. The catalog describes the page tree and document-level settings; the information dictionary stores the familiar string fields. Newer PDFs can also carry an XMP packet, which is a block of XML based on Adobe's Extensible Metadata Platform. XMP often duplicates the information dictionary and may add rights, licensing, and workflow fields. This tool reads the classic information dictionary through pdf-lib, which is the source most desktop applications display in their Document Properties dialog.
Understanding the fields
- Title: the human-readable document name. It is often blank because many exporters never set it.
- Author: the person or organisation recorded by the creating application. It is a text field, not a verified identity.
- Subject and keywords: free-form descriptions used by search and indexing tools.
- Creator: the application that authored the source document, such as a word processor or design program.
- Producer: the library or export engine that wrote the PDF, such as a print driver or publishing tool.
- Creation and modification dates: PDF date strings, which include a time zone offset. They can be edited and should not be treated as trustworthy evidence on their own.
- PDF version and encryption: technical facts read from the file header and trailer rather than from descriptive fields.
Privacy and accuracy
Metadata can reveal more than intended. A file exported from a corporate template may contain an internal project name, a username, or the full path of the source document. Review metadata before publishing a PDF publicly. Remember that metadata is also easy to falsify: dates and author names are ordinary strings, and a determined person can rewrite them. For that reason, treat metadata as a convenience for organising documents, not as proof of authorship. If you need to remove properties, use a dedicated metadata-cleaning tool and verify the result afterwards, because some exporters write both an information dictionary and an XMP packet.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool change my PDF?
No. The file is loaded into memory with pdf-lib and read only. Nothing is saved back to disk, and the downloaded JSON is a separate file that contains the extracted values.
Why are some fields empty even though I see them in Adobe Acrobat?
Acrobat merges the classic information dictionary with the XMP metadata packet and may display values from either source. This viewer reads the information dictionary, so a property stored only in XMP can appear empty. Empty fields are shown as not set rather than guessed.
Can I inspect an encrypted PDF?
Often yes, because many PDFs are encrypted with an empty owner password and only restrict editing or printing. This viewer asks pdf-lib to ignore encryption so the structure can be read. If the document requires a real password to open, metadata may be unavailable until the file is unlocked.