Edit PDF Metadata Online: Change Title, Author and Keywords

PDF metadata is the set of document properties stored inside the file: title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer. Readers show these values in their Document Properties panel, and search and archive systems use them to label files. After a few exports and copies, they're often empty, out of date or just plain wrong.

This editor shows the values a PDF already holds and lets you change or clear each one. It doesn't touch the pages, text or images.

How to edit PDF metadata online

All you need is one PDF, a browser and a minute.

1. Upload one PDF: pick a file or drag it into the upload area.
2. Click Review metadata to open the form with the title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer the file already holds.
3. Type new text, or empty a field to clear that property. Separate keywords with commas.
4. Click Save metadata, download the updated PDF and check its properties in your PDF reader.

Which PDF properties the metadata editor changes

The editor writes six standard properties with the pdf-lib library, whose documentation notes that these values appear in the Document Properties section of most PDF readers.

• Title: the document's name, which can differ from the file name.
• Author: the person, team or company responsible for the document.
• Subject: a short description of what the document is about.
• Keywords: search terms; the editor trims the spaces and stores them as a comma-separated list.
• Creator: the application the source document was made in.
• Producer: the software that wrote the PDF.

A field you leave empty gets saved empty, which clears that property. The tool saves a new copy of the whole file, so its size can shift slightly.

What editing PDF metadata leaves unchanged

The page content stays as it was, and so do the creation and modification dates. If you need different page content, edit the source document and export it again.

Lots of PDFs also carry a second copy of their metadata as an XMP metadata stream, stored inside the file. This editor removes that stream when it saves, so a reader that prefers XMP can't fall back on the old values.

A PDF that needs a password to open is refused, so take the password off with Unlock PDF first. One that only restricts printing or copying is accepted, but the copy you download won't carry those restrictions any more.

What happens to the second copy in the XMP stream

A lot of PDFs keep a second copy of their metadata in an XMP stream, and some readers and search indexes read that copy first. This editor drops the stream when it saves, so the document properties you set are the only copy left.

We tested this in October 2026 with a Word file, test.docx, exported to PDF with LibreOffice 25.2. The 18.2 KB PDF named the author Iwo Kadziela twice: in its document properties and as dc:creator in its XMP stream.

We saved it with Edit PDF Metadata twice, once with a new title and author and once with all six fields empty. Both copies showed the new or empty values in the document properties, and neither had an XMP stream left: pdfinfo -meta printed nothing, and the name Iwo Kadziela and the word LibreOffice appeared nowhere in either file.

The creation date came out unchanged in both copies, and no modification date was added.

How to remove metadata from a PDF before sending it

Clear the fields you don't want to share, like an author name or an old project title, and save. Then open the downloaded copy in a second PDF viewer and make sure the fields really are empty.

Clearing properties isn't redaction. Names in the page text, comments, form values and attachments stay in the file, as our guide on removing metadata from a PDF before sending it explains step by step.

If a completed form shouldn't be editable any more, run it through Flatten PDF, one of our PDF optimization tools, as well. To keep strangers out of the file altogether, add a password with Protect PDF from our PDF security tools.

What happened when we tested Edit PDF Metadata

We used test1.pdf, a small one-page test file of 4.9 KB. We set the title to "Edited Metadata Title", the author to "PDF-File Test", the subject to "Metadata verification", the keywords to "metadata, verification", the creator to "Test Creator" and the producer to "Test Producer".

Processing took 0.1 seconds on our test server. The download, test1_metadata.pdf, still had one page and was 4.6 KB. Tested in October 2026.

Good titles, authors and keywords

Agree on one naming pattern across a team, say document type, customer and date in the same order every time. A title like "Invoice 2026-114, Acme Ltd" tells a reader more than the file name ever will.

Keep keywords short and specific: a project name, a department, a year. Stuffing the field with loosely related words makes an archive harder to search.

Uploads are processed on our server and deleted automatically within two hours. If the file's then too big for an email, shrink it with our PDF compressor and check the properties again afterwards.

Frequently Asked Questions About Editing PDF Metadata

Does editing metadata change the PDF's visible content?

No. Only the six document properties change. The text, images, page order and layout stay as they were.

Can I remove existing PDF metadata?

Yes. Empty a field and save to clear that property. The XMP copy goes too, so no reader shows the old value.

How should I format PDF keywords?

Separate them with commas, for example "invoice, Acme, March 2026". The editor trims the spaces around each keyword.

Are the creation and modification dates changed?

No. The editor leaves both dates as they were in the original file.

Can I edit the metadata of a password-protected PDF?

Only if it opens without a password. A PDF that asks for one has to be unlocked first. A file that only restricts printing or copying is accepted, and the downloaded copy has no restrictions.

Will the original PDF be overwritten?

No. You download a new copy with the new properties, so keep the original if you need an unchanged version.

Can metadata replace redaction?

No. Editing metadata changes document properties only. It doesn't hide or remove words, images, comments or form data on the pages.