Sanitize PDF
PDF Vault strips metadata, author information, and hidden data from a PDF locally, so you can share a document without leaking who made it and how.
Every PDF carries more than its visible pages. Author name, organisation, the software that produced it, creation and modification timestamps, and sometimes remnants of earlier edits all travel with the file by default.
This has embarrassed a lot of people. Metadata has exposed the real author of anonymous documents, revealed that a proposal was copied from another client's version, and given away internal timelines through modification dates.
Sanitize removes that layer before you share. It runs locally, which is the only sensible way to do it — uploading a document to have its identifying data removed rather defeats the exercise.
How to remove metadata from a PDF
- Load the PDF you are about to share.
- Review the metadata the tool found: author, producer, timestamps, and other properties.
- Strip the identifying fields.
- Download the cleaned document and share that version instead of the original.
What you get
- Shows you what is there. See the metadata before removing it — often surprising in itself.
- Removes the hidden layers. Author and producer fields, XMP metadata, the document ID, JavaScript, attachments and comments — you choose which.
- Clears timestamps. Creation and modification dates that reveal internal timelines.
- Local by necessity. Cleaning a document is pointless if the uncleaned original was just uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
Does this redact visible content on the page?
No. It removes the document's hidden data. To remove visible confidential content, use Redact in the PDF Editor, which removes the covered content from the file rather than drawing over it.
What metadata does a PDF normally contain?
Typically author, title, subject, keywords, the producing application, and creation and modification timestamps. Some generators add considerably more.
Should I sanitize before every share?
Before any external share, it is a cheap habit. For documents circulating inside your own organisation it usually matters less.