View Metadata
See a PDF's title, author, keywords, creator, producer, dates, page count and PDF version in your browser, and export them as JSON. Nothing is uploaded.
Upload PDF File
About This Tool
View Metadata reads a PDF's document information dictionary and lists its title, author, subject, keywords, creator application, producer, creation and modification dates, together with the page count, file size, PDF version and whether it is linearised. It reads the file in your browser and does not change it. XMP metadata is not shown.
Other entries appear under Additional Metadata, together with values the pdf.js library reports, such as the document language when one is set and true or false flags for XFA form data, portfolios and signatures. Custom properties that some programs add are currently grouped into a single entry that reads [object Object] instead of being listed one by one.
Dates are shown in your local time, but the time zone offset stored in the file is ignored during conversion, so a time can be out by that offset. The XMP metadata stream, which many programs fill in alongside the dictionary and which can hold different values, is not read. The tool does not test PDF/A or any other conformance, and it cannot confirm who really created a file, since these fields can be typed in by anyone. A file that needs a password to open cannot be read.
Export as JSON saves the values, plus an isEncrypted value, to a file named after the PDF. To change the fields use Edit Metadata; to clear them before sharing, use Remove Metadata, explained in How to Remove Metadata from a PDF.
How to Use
Upload the PDF
Drop one PDF on the upload area or click to browse. Reading starts at once.
Read the panels
Document Properties, Dates and Document Information appear, with - Not Set - for empty fields. Any extra entries show under Additional Metadata.
Export if you need a record
Click Export as JSON to save the values for a file note or a comparison.
Check another file
Click Remove to clear the current file and upload the next one.
Use Cases
Check before a file leaves
See whether a personal name, an internal template title or an old project name is still in a PDF before it goes outside the organisation.
Trace where a version came from
Note the creator and producer applications when investigating how an unexpected copy of a document was made.
Keep a note of properties
Save a JSON record of a file's properties alongside a review or change record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which fields are shown?
Title, author, subject, keywords, creator application, PDF producer, creation and modification dates, page count, file size, PDF version and whether the file is linearised, plus any extra entries under Additional Metadata.
Does it show XMP metadata?
No. Only the document information dictionary is read. Many files also carry an XMP metadata stream, which can hold different values, and that stream is not displayed.
Can it tell me whether a PDF is PDF/A?
No. It does not test PDF/A or any other standard. The producer field may name a program that can create PDF/A, but that is no evidence that the file conforms.
Why might a date be an hour or more out?
The stored time zone offset is ignored when the date is converted to your local time, so a time recorded with an offset other than UTC is shifted by that amount. Check the raw value elsewhere if the exact time matters.
Does it show whether the file is encrypted?
Not on screen. The exported JSON has an isEncrypted value, which is true when the file contains an encryption dictionary. A file that needs a password to open does not load at all.
Can these values prove who wrote a document?
No. Anyone can type or change them with ordinary software, including Edit Metadata. Treat them as a hint, and rely on your document management system or a digital signature for authorship.