View PDF Properties and Metadata
Find out what a PDF says about itself: who made it and with which software, when it was created and changed, its PDF version, page dimensions and security settings.
How to view PDF metadata
- Choose a PDF (enter the password if it asks for one).
- Read the document information, page sizes and security sections.
- If the file contains an XMP packet, its raw XML is shown at the bottom of the page.
- Copy everything as JSON or download it as a .json file.
Supported formats
- Input
- Output
- JSON
- Maximum size
- 200 MB per file (limited by your device's memory)
Where PDF metadata comes from
PDFs can carry two sets of metadata: the classic document information dictionary (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer and dates) and an XMP packet in XML, which newer software prefers. They can disagree when a file has been edited by different programs. Creator is the application the document was made in; Producer is the software that wrote the PDF. Dates are shown in your local time with the raw PDF date string alongside. Page sizes are grouped, so a mixed A4/Letter document is easy to spot. To remove metadata, use the PDF Compressor's lossless mode; for general file details such as the true file type, try the File Information Viewer.
Benefits
- Shows both the information dictionary and whether an XMP packet is present (with the raw XML).
- Page sizes in points, millimetres and inches, with standard sizes like A4 and Letter recognised.
- Reports encryption and the exact permissions granted to readers.
Limitations
- Metadata is self-reported by the software that created the file and can be missing or wrong.
- Metadata cannot be edited here — this tool only reads it.
- Opening a PDF that has an open password requires that password.
Privacy and security
The PDF is parsed by PDF.js in a Web Worker inside your browser. Metadata is displayed and copied locally; the file is never uploaded.
Read our privacy policy for details about the site as a whole.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Creator and Producer?
Creator is the program the document was authored in, such as Microsoft Word. Producer is the library or driver that generated the PDF itself, such as macOS Quartz PDFContext or Adobe PDF Library.
Why are the title and author empty?
Many applications don't fill them in, and some tools remove them. An empty field simply means the PDF doesn't define it.
What does the PDF version tell me?
It is the specification version declared in the file, e.g. 1.4, 1.7 or 2.0. Newer features such as AES-256 encryption require newer versions and newer viewers.