A PDF records considerably more than the pages you see. It knows what software made it, often who was logged in at the time, when it was created and last modified, and the exact dimensions of every page. This shows you what is actually in the file.
How to use the PDF Info Viewer
- Drop a PDF onto the upload area, or click to choose one
- Review the page count, page sizes and PDF version
- Check the metadata — particularly Author and Producer
- If anything there is revealing, edit the document properties before sharing
The metadata privacy problem
PDF metadata is a recurring source of accidental disclosure. The Author field is typically filled from the operating system account name, so a document produced from a personal machine can carry someone's real name. Producer and Creator identify the software and version, which tells a reader what tooling your organisation uses. Creation and modification dates reveal when work actually happened — occasionally contradicting what a covering email claims.
None of this is visible when reading the document, and all of it travels with the file. Documents converted from Word frequently inherit the original author, the company name from the Office licence, and the full editing history timestamps.
Check before publishing anything externally. If the metadata is wrong or revealing, most PDF software can edit document properties before export.
Page sizes and what they tell you
Page dimensions are stored in points — 72 to the inch — and shown here in millimetres for readability. Common sizes:
- A4 — 210 × 297 mm (595 × 842 pt). The international standard.
- US Letter — 216 × 279 mm (612 × 792 pt). North America.
- A3 — 297 × 420 mm. Posters and large tables.
Mixed page sizes within one document usually mean it was assembled from several sources, which is worth knowing before sending it to print. Reported dimensions account for rotation, so a rotated A4 page correctly shows as landscape.
The PDF version number indicates which features the file may use — 1.4 and below are widely compatible, 1.5 and above may use compressed object streams that older software cannot read.
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded to read its metadata?
No. The file is read in your browser and never transmitted — which matters especially here, since the whole purpose is inspecting potentially sensitive information.
How do I remove metadata from a PDF?
Most PDF software lets you edit document properties before saving. Acrobat has a dedicated 'Sanitize Document' function that strips metadata and hidden data in one step.
Why does my PDF show no metadata?
Some producers write very little, and some tools strip it deliberately. An absence of metadata usually means the file has already been processed or was generated by minimal software.
What does the PDF version actually mean?
Which specification revision the file conforms to, and therefore which features it may use. 1.4 and below are maximally compatible; 1.5 and later may use compressed object streams that very old readers cannot open.
Can this tell me if a PDF has been edited?
Partially. A modification date later than the creation date indicates a change, but both fields can be edited. It is an indicator, not proof.