Privacy & Identity
7 min read
•
Published Oct 2026
PDF Metadata Cleaning: How Hidden Properties Leak Your Identity
Did you know every PDF document you export from Word, Google Docs, or Photoshop contains hidden metadata fields revealing your full name, local computer username, software build, and exact editing timestamps?
What Metadata Lies Hidden Inside PDF Dictionaries?
PDF files contain an Info dictionary and XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) XML streams. Common fields embedded automatically include:
- Title & Author: Registered OS user account name (e.g.
John_Doe_MacBook_Pro). - Creator & Producer: Exact software build (e.g.
Microsoft Word 16.89 for macOS). - CreationDate & ModDate: Local time zone timestamps revealing when and where you edited the document.
How to Scrub Metadata Before Public Sharing
Before publishing research papers, press releases, or legal briefs online, use SlowPDF's Edit Metadata Tool to scrub these hidden fields cleanly in browser RAM.
Scrub Hidden PDF Metadata Instantly
Clean author tags, title properties, and creation history from your PDF files before sharing.