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Edit PDF metadata — title, author, subject, keywords

Edit a PDF's title, author, subject, and keywords. Useful for archival, SEO of public PDFs, removing personal data, or organizing document libraries.

Edit only the fields you want to change. Untouched fields are preserved as-is. To clear a value, edit the field and leave it blank.

Edit at least one field

PDF metadata — title, author, subject, keywords — appears in document properties dialogs, file managers, search results, and Document Information panels. It's surprisingly important: a hosted PDF on your website often shows up in search results with the embedded title (not the on-page H1). Setting clean, accurate metadata helps SEO, helps recipients identify the document later, and removes traces of the original author when sharing repurposed templates. PDFOnly's metadata editor lets you set, change, or clear all four standard metadata fields without re-exporting from your source application.

How to edit pdf metadata step by step

  1. 1

    Upload your PDF

    Drop the PDF whose metadata you want to edit. Files up to 100 MB free, 200 MB on Pro.

  2. 2

    Fill in (or clear) the metadata fields

    Title — appears in browser tabs and reader title bars. Author — typically the original creator's name. Subject — short description of the document's topic. Keywords — comma-separated tags for search. Leave a field blank to clear it; otherwise the value you type is set.

  3. 3

    Click Update and download

    We use pdf-lib to update the document information dictionary in your PDF. The visible content of every page is unchanged. Only the metadata is modified.

Why edit pdf metadata on PDFOnly

Real metadata editing, not visual labels

Some tools claim to 'edit metadata' but actually just stamp text on the page. We update the actual PDF info dictionary, so PDF readers see the new metadata in their properties panel.

Clear-vs-set distinction

Want to remove a value entirely (not just change it)? Leave the field blank. We treat blank fields as 'clear' rather than 'leave unchanged' — so you can strip metadata cleanly.

Lossless content preservation

Only the metadata changes. Page content, fonts, images, bookmarks, and everything else are byte-for-byte preserved.

What people use edit pdf metadata for

A few common scenarios. If your workflow looks like one of these, this tool is a good fit.

Remove your name as author when sharing a template

You created a template in Word, your name is embedded as the document author. When you share the template publicly, clear the author field so recipients don't see your name in their PDF reader's properties panel.

Set SEO-friendly title for hosted PDFs

Search engines often display the PDF metadata title in search results, not the page filename. Set a clean keyword-rich title before uploading public-facing PDFs (whitepapers, ebooks, reports).

Standardize an archive of legacy documents

Legal and corporate archives often have hundreds of PDFs with inconsistent metadata. Bulk-update titles to a standard naming convention (e.g. 'Year — Department — Subject') for better searchability.

Add subject and keywords for document indexing

Document management systems and search engines use subject and keywords for classification. Setting them deliberately improves how your PDFs surface in internal searches.

What you get

  • Edit title, author, subject, and keywords in one form
  • Clear personal information (your name as author) before sharing templates
  • Set keyword-rich metadata for better SEO on hosted PDFs
  • Lossless — content unchanged, only metadata is modified
  • Free, no signup, files auto-deleted in 1 hour
  • Output is a standard PDF that any reader recognizes

Frequently asked questions

What metadata fields are supported?

Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords — the four standard PDF document information fields shown in every PDF reader's Document Properties panel. Producer (the software that made the PDF) and CreationDate/ModDate are managed automatically.

Can I see what metadata my PDF currently has?

Yes — open your PDF in any reader, then File → Properties (or equivalent). The dialog shows current Title/Author/Subject/Keywords. Our editor pre-fills with the existing values when you upload.

Will clearing the author hide my identity completely?

Clearing the author field removes one identifier. PDFs can also embed identity information in other places: signing certificates, embedded comments, Producer metadata, or even in the underlying PostScript stream from some printers. For thorough anonymization, also flatten the PDF and check Producer/Creator fields.

Will the new metadata appear in Google search results?

Often, yes — Google reads PDF metadata for the title displayed in search results when the PDF is indexed. Setting clean titles can significantly improve how your PDFs appear in search.

Can I edit XMP metadata (the extended set)?

Standard XMP fields that map to the four basic ones (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords) are updated. More specialized XMP fields (Dublin Core extensions, PDF/A markers, custom schemas) aren't modified by this tool — for those, use a dedicated XMP editor.

Will the file size change?

Negligibly — metadata fields are typically a few hundred bytes total. Your output is essentially the same size as the input, with the metadata dictionary swapped.

Can I edit metadata on a password-protected PDF?

Not while encrypted. Use Unlock PDF first with the password, then edit metadata, then re-protect with Protect PDF if needed.

Ready to edit pdf metadata?

Free to use for the basics. Files are auto-deleted within an hour and never used to train AI.

Open Edit PDF Metadata