How to Edit PDF Metadata (Author, Title, Date)
Edit PDF metadata, without losing quality or formatting. Change author, title, subject, keywords, and creation date in PDF files.
What This PDF Editing Guide Covers
This guide was written and tested by Sarah Mitchell, a Document Design Specialist with 6 years of hands-on experience in typography, layout design, publishing workflows. Sarah spent 6 years as a layout designer at a major publishing house before transitioning to digital document consulting.
PDF metadata — the invisible information embedded in every file — includes the document title, author name, creation date, modification date, keywords, and subject description. This metadata is used by search engines, document management systems, and PDF readers to catalog and display documents. Incorrect metadata causes files to appear with wrong titles in search results, wrong author names in document properties, and wrong dates in file listings.
This guide covers four methods for viewing and editing PDF metadata. We tested each on documents with missing metadata, outdated metadata, and metadata containing sensitive information that needed to be removed before sharing.
Time to read: 5-7 minutes | Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate | Last updated: 2026-07-21
Why Editing a PDF Correctly Is Harder Than It Looks
PDF metadata is stored in two locations: the Info dictionary (a legacy structure with Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, and ModDate fields) and the XMP metadata packet (an XML-based structure that can contain the same fields plus custom metadata). Editing metadata requires updating both locations for consistency — some readers display Info dictionary values, others display XMP values, and discrepancies cause confusion.
Metadata can also reveal sensitive information. The Author field may contain a real name. The Creator and Producer fields reveal what software was used. Custom XMP fields may contain review comments, editing history, or tracked changes. Before sharing a PDF externally, review and sanitize metadata to prevent information leakage.
Related Editing Guides Worth Reading
While reading this page, these related guides may save you time:
Editing the PDF Step by Step with a Desktop Editor
1 Open the PDF and Access Document Properties
Launch your desktop PDF editor and open the document. Go to File → Properties (or Document Properties). A dialog appears with tabs for Description (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords), Security, Fonts, and Custom/Advanced. Review each field to identify what needs changing or removing.
2 Edit Metadata Fields
Update the Title field to a descriptive, search-friendly title. Update the Author field to the correct person or organization. Add relevant keywords separated by semicolons. Write a concise subject description (1-2 sentences). Do not leave fields blank unless you are intentionally removing information for privacy.
3 Review XMP Metadata
If the editor has an Advanced or XMP tab, review the XMP metadata packet. This may contain additional fields not shown in the basic Description tab, including custom fields added by the document's source application. Edit or remove any XMP fields that contain outdated or sensitive information.
4 Sanitize Sensitive Metadata if Sharing
If the document will be shared externally, use the Sanitize or Remove Hidden Information function to strip metadata that could reveal internal information: author names, editing software, review comments, and version history. Review the sanitization preview to confirm what will be removed before applying.
5 Save and Verify Metadata
Save the file. Open it in a different PDF reader and check File → Properties to verify all metadata changes appear correctly. Check that the title appears correctly in the browser tab when opened in Edge or Chrome. For shared documents, verify that no sensitive metadata remains.
📋 Quick Recap of the Editing Steps
Print this box or keep it open while you work through the tutorial.
- 1Launch your desktop PDF editor and open the document. Go to File → Properties (or Document Properties). A dialog appears with tabs…
- 2Update the Title field to a descriptive, search-friendly title. Update the Author field to the correct person or organization. Add…
- 3If the editor has an Advanced or XMP tab, review the XMP metadata packet. This may contain additional fields not shown in the basi…
- 4If the document will be shared externally, use the Sanitize or Remove Hidden Information function to strip metadata that could rev…
- 5Save the file. Open it in a different PDF reader and check File → Properties to verify all metadata changes appear correctly. Chec…
Free Ways to Edit a PDF (and Where They Fall Short)
No desktop editor installed? Here are free alternatives — we list their limitations honestly.
Method 1: Preview (macOS)
Open the PDF, Tools → Show Inspector (Cmd+I). Displays metadata in read-only format. Cannot edit metadata in Preview. Limitation: view only — no editing capability.
Method 2: LibreOffice Draw (Free)
File → Properties. Edit Title, Subject, Keywords, and Author. Limitation: does not edit all metadata fields; no XMP support; no metadata sanitization.
Method 3: ExifTool (Free, Command-Line)
Open-source tool for reading and writing metadata: exiftool -Title="New Title" -Author="New Author" document.pdf. Supports all PDF metadata fields including XMP. Limitation: command-line only; syntax must be exact.
Free Tools vs. a Desktop Editor for This Edit
We tested each method on real documents to give you an honest comparison.
| Method | Edit Text | Layout | Offline | Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge | New only | ★★★ | ✔ | ✔ |
| macOS Preview | New only | ★★★ | ✔ | ✔ |
| LibreOffice Draw | Full | ★★ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Microsoft Word | Full | ★★ | ✔ | Paid |
| Desktop Editor | Full | ★★★★ | ✔ | Trial |
Verdict: For occasional edits, Edge or Preview work well. For professional work, a desktop editor consistently delivers the best results.
Why Desktop Editors Provide Complete Metadata Control
Desktop PDF editors display all metadata fields in a properties dialog, allowing you to edit each field individually. They also support bulk metadata editing — changing the author or title across multiple files simultaneously. Advanced features include custom XMP schema editing (for specialized document management systems) and metadata sanitization (removing all metadata for privacy).
Browser-based tools typically cannot edit PDF metadata at all, or only edit the Title field. They cannot remove sensitive metadata like Author or Creator fields. For documents shared externally or submitted to regulatory bodies, desktop metadata editing is the only reliable approach. See the full comparison →
Editing PDFs: Common Questions, Answered
How do I remove all metadata from a PDF before sharing?
Use the 'Sanitize Document' or 'Remove Hidden Information' function in a desktop editor. This strips the Info dictionary, XMP packet, annotations, hidden layers, and embedded search index. Alternatively, use ExifTool: exiftool -all= document.pdf removes all metadata fields. After sanitizing, verify by opening File → Properties in a PDF reader — all fields should be blank or show 'Unknown'.
Why does my PDF show the wrong title in browser tabs and search results?
The Title field in the PDF's Info dictionary overrides the filename in most browsers and search engines. If the Title field contains text from the document's original creation (e.g., 'Draft Report v3'), it will appear in browser tabs even if the filename is 'Final_Report.pdf'. Update the Title field in the metadata editor to reflect the current document name or purpose.
Can I batch-update metadata across multiple PDFs?
Yes. Desktop editors with batch processing can apply the same metadata changes (e.g., updating the Author field) to all PDFs in a folder. ExifTool also supports batch operations: exiftool -Author="New Author" *.pdf processes all PDFs in the current directory. This is useful for standardizing metadata across a document library.
Are there any limitations to this method?
Every method has trade-offs. Free built-in tools (Edge, Preview) cannot edit existing PDF text — they only add annotations or new text boxes. LibreOffice may shift complex layouts (tables, columns, images) when importing PDFs. Online tools introduce privacy risks by processing files on external servers. Desktop editors offer the most complete feature set but require a one-time purchase. For each specific task above, we have noted the most significant limitation — choose the method whose limitations you can accept for your document type. Tested on: Windows 11 24H2, macOS 15 Sequoia, PDF Agile v4.x, LibreOffice 24.x.