Remove hidden data from a PDF
A PDF can say more than its pages do: who wrote it, which software made it, when it last changed, files tucked inside it, even earlier versions of its text. This tool shows what it finds and saves a clean copy whose pages look exactly the same.
Updated November 9, 2026 · 2 min read
Choose the PDF to clean
You'll see what it carries out of sight (author, software, edit history, attachments, scripts) before you download a clean copy.
Your file never leaves your device. The clean copy is made right here in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and the pages look exactly the same.
On this page
How to clean a PDF
- 1
Open the PDF
Choose the file. It's checked straight away, and you see a list of what was found.
- 2
Choose the extras
Tick Flatten form fields to keep answers on the page but remove the fields, and Comments and markup to remove notes, highlights and drawings.
- 3
Download
Tap Download clean PDF.
What the clean copy leaves out
- Document properties: title, author, subject, keywords, the app that created the file and the software that made the PDF, creation and modification dates, and any custom properties. The file also gets a new random ID.
- XMP metadata, the hidden block of details many apps write, on the document and on its pages, images and fonts.
- Attached and embedded files, including files attached as comments.
- Scripts and actions: document JavaScript, actions that run when the file opens, and launch, submit and import actions. Links to websites and to other pages keep working.
- Earlier saved versions. Many editors save changes by adding them to the end of the file, so old text stays inside. The clean copy is rebuilt from the current pages only.
- Leftovers such as page thumbnails, private app data, web-capture data and page labels that carry text.
What it doesn't remove
This tool cleans the file, not the pages. Anything drawn on a page stays where it is:
- Text covered by a black box, a shape or a picture. It's still there to copy and paste.
- White or tiny text, and anything sitting outside the visible edge of the page.
- Names, numbers and addresses in the visible text itself.
For any of those, use Redact, which rebuilds every page from pictures so nothing hidden can come along.
Before you clean a file
- Clean before signing, not after. Any change to a signed PDF breaks a digital signature on it, and changes the fingerprint a signing record relies on.
- Accessibility tags go too. The tags screen readers use to follow a document are structure data, and they're removed with the rest.
- Keep your original if you'll need its history or attachments later. The tool never changes the file you opened.
Questions? Answers.
What is PDF metadata?
Information about the file rather than on its pages: who made it, with which software, when, and sometimes a title or keywords. PDF readers show some of it under Document Properties.
Will the PDF look different?
No. The pages are the same. Only if you choose an extra does something visible change: flattened fields stop being fillable, and removed comments disappear.
Is this the same as redacting?
No. Redacting removes content you can see on a page. This removes data you can't see. For a sensitive file you may want both.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. It's checked and rebuilt by your browser, on your device.