Strip PDF metadata before you send the file
File, Properties still shows your name after you export a clean-looking PDF. Tinolia removes the property list and the XMP packet on the server, and files are deleted within 1 hour.
- Author
- J. Rivera
- Creator
- Word
- Producer
- Microsoft Word
- Modified
- 2026-09-12
What PDF metadata is, and who can read it
A PDF carries a document information dictionary: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, and creation or modification dates. Many exports also embed an XMP packet with the same story in XML.
The pages you see are separate. Preview, Acrobat, and LibreOffice still open File, Properties and show the Author field even when the text on the page never names you.
Author, Creator, and XMP are not the same slot
Author is usually the person or account saved in the office app. Creator names the program that wrote the file, such as Word or a scanner driver. Producer often names the library that finished the PDF.
XMP is a second bag on the catalog. Clearing only the visible Author line can leave XMP behind for tools that read the packet. Tinolia clears the property list and the XMP packet together.
Clear it before Outlook, HR, or a loan packet
An Outlook attachment, a Workday or HR upload, and a notarization or loan packet all travel with the file bytes. The other side can open Properties without asking you.
If the PDF still carries your office login as Author, the reviewer learns more than the stamped pages show. Strip metadata on a copy you are about to send, then keep your working file if you still need the history.
Signed and password-protected PDFs cannot be rewritten here
A digital signature seals byte ranges. Rewriting properties would break that seal, so a signed PDF is refused. Remove the signature only in the tool that created it, or send a fresh unsigned export if the workflow allows.
A password-protected PDF is also refused. Unlock it where it was created, strip metadata, then protect again if you still need a password.
Remove the property list, then check File, Properties
Remove PDF metadata takes one PDF, up to 20 MB and 80 pages. It clears the information dictionary and the XMP packet. Visible text, form answers, comments, and attachments stay. Files are deleted within 1 hour.
- Drop one PDF on Remove PDF metadata.
- Read the listed Author, Creator, dates, and whether XMP is present.
- Download the cleaned file and open File, Properties on your side before you send.
- If the PDF is only too heavy for Outlook, that is PDF for email, not this job.
Photos inside the PDF are a different privacy job
GPS and camera tags live in image EXIF, not in the PDF property list. Strip those on the photos with Remove EXIF before you build the PDF, or follow strip GPS for the phone library copy.
This guide does not recompress pages and it is not Adobe Sanitize: comments, hidden text, and old revisions stay unless you clean them in a full desktop sanitize workflow.
Questions
What counts as PDF metadata?
The document property list (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, dates, and other Info fields) plus the XMP packet when one is embedded.
How is Author different from Creator or XMP?
Author is usually the person field. Creator names the writing app. XMP is a separate XML packet that can repeat the same facts after Author looks empty.
Can I strip metadata from a digitally signed PDF?
Tinolia refuses signed PDFs because rewriting properties would break the signature. Use an unsigned export, or clear metadata before anyone signs.
Will macOS Preview or Windows still show Author after the strip?
After a successful clean, File, Properties should no longer list those fields. Quit and reopen the file if the viewer cached the old panel.
Does Adobe Acrobat still list something after Tinolia runs?
The property list and XMP packet are cleared. Acrobat Sanitize goes further into comments, hidden text, and revisions; this page does not claim that full sanitize.
Can I clean a whole folder of PDFs at once?
The tool takes one PDF per run. Repeat for each file you are about to send rather than uploading a ZIP of many documents.
Should I strip metadata before a notarization or loan packet?
Yes when the recipient should not see your Author or office app in Properties. Strip a sending copy; keep the working file if you still need the edit history.
Does stripping metadata shrink the email attachment?
Metadata is small. A large Outlook attachment is a size job: open PDF for email or Compress PDF.
More guides like this
- Strip GPS from an iPhone photo before you send itThe share sheet cleans one send, not the library, and compression promises nothing. Read the GPS field, strip it on the server, then check the file.
- Remove location from Android photosGoogle Photos will not edit GPS the camera wrote, and Samsung Gallery only fixes its own copy. Clean the batch, then confirm one file on a PC.
- Open iPhone HEIC photos on WindowsWindows ships no HEVC decoder for stills, so Explorer draws nothing. Install the two Store packages to look, or send JPEG to the portal that refused it.