PDF Metadata Viewer
Inspect PDF Document Info and XMP metadata without altering pages, text, or annotations.
Drag & drop a file here, or click to select
Max file size: 100 MB
Looking to remove metadata instead? Go to the Metadata Remover.
Why view PDF metadata?
Checking PDF metadata helps you protect privacy, verify authenticity, and understand how the file was created.
Audit authorship
See author/company, title/subject, and keywords stored in your PDF.
Track revisions
Review creation/modified dates and last-modified-by to trust the version history of your PDF.
Catch hidden fields
Spot custom properties, comments, and template identifiers before sending your PDF.
Preview the report layout
See how we surface EXIF, PDF, and video metadata before you upload your own file.
Example Metadata Report
After uploading, you'll get a detailed breakdown of your file's hidden data, similar to the example below.
Want to check your own file's metadata? Upload it above - no signup required.
Our secure process
We show you exactly what happens when you upload a file, so you know where your data goes and what stays untouched.
Upload over HTTPS
Pick or drop your PDF. Transfers are secure.
Parse metadata only
We read headers and metadata blocks; the file content is not changed or recompressed.
Highlight key signals
We group timestamps, authorship, location, and technical fields so you can spot what matters quickly.
Display readable results
You see structured metadata grouped by sections for fast review with no downloads required.
Delete temporary copy
The transient server copy is purged right after processing completes.
Want to try it out? Upload your file above, no signup required.
What PDF metadata can you view?
Here are the fields you can inspect before you share or archive the file. Use them to verify provenance, quality, and privacy.
- Document Info fields for title, author, subject, and keywords
- Producer/creator applications and creation/modification dates
- XMP packages including custom fields and PDF/A indicators
What metadata lives inside a PDF
PDFs carry two parallel metadata systems. The Document Info Dictionary (referenced by the /Info entry in the trailer) is the legacy format — a small dictionary with /Title, /Author, /Subject, /Keywords, /Creator (the authoring app like Word or InDesign), /Producer (the PDF-writing library like Acrobat Distiller, pdfTeX, or Prince), /CreationDate, and /ModDate in PDF-date format (D:20250415143000+00'00'). The XMP metadata stream (referenced by /Metadata in the document catalog) is the newer system, an Adobe XMP packet of RDF/XML carrying the same fields plus Dublin Core (dc:title, dc:creator, dc:description), XMP Media Management (xmpMM:History for edit trail, xmpMM:DocumentID, xmpMM:InstanceID), and PDF/A and PDF/X conformance indicators.
Every PDF-generating pipeline leaves a distinctive fingerprint. Microsoft Word 2016+ writes /Producer="Microsoft® Word for Microsoft 365" with an XMP History entry. LaTeX via pdfTeX writes /Producer="pdfTeX-1.40.26" and /Creator="TeX". InDesign writes CS6/CC version strings. Law-firm tools like iManage and DocuSign stamp their own /Producer and add /Keywords with matter numbers. Forensic reviewers read these fingerprints to trace a document's authoring history across revisions — and the viewer surfaces every field so you can do the same audit without Acrobat Pro.
PDF metadata has a privacy angle: the /Author field defaults to the local Windows or macOS username, which means an anonymized-looking PDF can still leak a personal name through /Author. /CreationDate and /ModDate are in the user's local timezone. /Keywords often contains internal project codenames added automatically by enterprise PDF profiles. The viewer shows the full Info dictionary and full XMP block so you can confirm whether a document has been properly sanitized before sending externally.
PDF metadata FAQs
What is the difference between /Info dictionary and XMP metadata?
Both carry similar fields, but XMP is extensible (arbitrary namespaces, custom fields) and Info is fixed to a small field set. Modern PDFs carry both and they should match — a mismatch often means the file was edited by a tool that only updated one.
How do I tell which app created a PDF?
The /Creator field names the authoring app (Word, InDesign, LaTeX). The /Producer field names the PDF-writing library (Acrobat Distiller, pdfTeX, Prince). Both are distinct fingerprints the viewer surfaces.
Can PDF Author leak my real name?
Yes — it defaults to the logged-in OS user. Enterprise templates often pre-populate it, but home-use PDFs frequently still contain personal names. The viewer shows the exact /Author value so you can confirm before sharing.
What is PDF/A and how do I see the conformance flag?
PDF/A is the ISO 19005 archival-compliant subset. Conformance is declared in the XMP via pdfaid:part (1, 2, 3) and pdfaid:conformance (a, b, u). The viewer decodes these fields explicitly.
Does the XMP include edit history?
It can. xmpMM:History is an ordered list of edit events with action, instance ID, software agent, and timestamp. Adobe apps populate it; most other tools do not. The viewer lists every history entry.