--- title: "What Metadata Is Hidden in PDFs? Fields Tested and Explained" description: "PDFs store title, author, creator, producer and dates. We generated PDFs with three tools and read their properties. See what each wrote and how to check yours." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/pdf-hidden-metadata lang: en published: 2026-10-30 updated: 2026-10-30 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # What metadata is hidden in a PDF? Author, dates and software > A PDF can tell the reader who made it, with what software and when, without a word of it appearing on the page. Published 2026-10-30 - Updated 2026-10-30 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team ## Quick answer PDFs carry document properties: title, author, creator application, producer, and creation and modification dates. In our test, three tools each wrote a producer and dates, and one wrote an author only when we set it. Check a PDF's properties before sharing; a password doesn't remove them. - **Typical fields:** Title, Author, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, ModDate. - **Our test:** ReportLab, Pillow and Chromium PDFs, read with pdfinfo. - **Not tested:** Pages, Word, Preview, Notes scans and edit history. - **Note:** The free image tools here don't read PDFs. Photos hide location in EXIF. PDFs hide authorship and software in their own properties. The two work differently, and the [free image tools on this site](/tools/image-metadata-viewer) don't read PDFs, so use the methods below. ## What we tested On 2026-10-30 we made one-page PDFs with three tools and read the properties with `pdfinfo` (poppler): | Created with | Title | Author | Creator | Producer | Dates | XMP | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | ReportLab (defaults) | untitled | anonymous | anonymous | ReportLab PDF Library | creation and modified | No | | ReportLab (we set author, title, creator) | Quarterly plan | **Jane Tester** | Fixture App | ReportLab PDF Library | creation and modified | No | | Pillow (image to PDF) | pillow (filename) | none | none | none | creation and modified | No | | Chromium 153 (page to PDF) | page title | none | Chromium | Skia/PDF m153 | creation and modified | No | Two things stand out. First, every tool stamped **dates**, and tools that set a producer name told us which software made the file. Second, **a name appears when someone sets it**, either you or the software's profile. Chromium took the title from the web page; Pillow took it from the filename. **What we did not test:** Pages, Word, Preview or Notes-scan exports, edit history after a PDF is modified, and the effect of a password on the properties. We don't know what those write, so we haven't listed them. ## What the fields mean | Field | What it can reveal | |---|---| | Title | The document's name, sometimes a draft title | | Author | A person's or account's name | | Creator | The application you made it in | | Producer | The software that wrote the PDF | | CreationDate / ModDate | When it was made and last changed | | XMP | Optional extra metadata, absent in our samples | ## How to check yours 1. Mac: open in Preview, Tools -> Show Inspector. 2. Any computer: `pdfinfo yourfile.pdf` shows these fields. 3. Remove or blank any field you wouldn't want a recipient to read before sharing, then run `pdfinfo` again to confirm. 4. If the PDF came from a scan or a photo, remember the image inside may carry its own metadata. Check the original photo in the [metadata viewer](/tools/image-metadata-viewer). A password and metadata are separate issues. Our guide to [password-protecting a PDF on iPhone](/blog/password-protect-pdf-iphone) covers locking; verify the properties of the result yourself. > **Keep sensitive documents out of loose files.** A vault stores documents outside the Photos library, behind a pattern only you draw. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ## Frequently asked questions ### What metadata is in a PDF? The document information block usually holds title, author, subject, keywords, the creating application, the producing library and creation and modification dates. Some PDFs also carry XMP metadata. In our test the three generated files had a producer and dates; none had XMP. ### Does a PDF show who created it? It can. The Author field shows a name if the creating software or the user filled it in. In our test, ReportLab wrote 'anonymous' by default and a real name only when we set one, while Chromium and Pillow wrote no author. ### Does password-protecting a PDF remove its metadata? Don't assume so. We did not test whether passwords hide the properties, and tools differ. Check the properties of the protected file. Our guide on protecting a PDF explains what a password covers. ### How do I see a PDF's properties? On a Mac, open it in Preview and choose Tools -> Show Inspector. On any computer with poppler installed, run pdfinfo file.pdf. Many PDF readers have a Document Properties panel. ## Bottom line A PDF knows when it was made and usually which software made it, and it may know who. Look at the properties before you send a document, especially one that came from your work or a scan of an ID. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Lock PDFs on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-pdfs-iphe85f2ea31/ios) - [Apple Support: Password-protect a PDF in Preview on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/password-protect-a-pdf-prvw587dd90f/mac) ## Keep reading - [How to Password-Protect a PDF on iPhone (and Open or Save One)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/password-protect-pdf-iphone): Password-protect a PDF on iPhone with the built-in Preview app, learn what an owner password is, and save, open or share password-protected PDFs safely. - [How to View EXIF Data on iPhone, and What You Can Remove (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/exif-data-iphone): View EXIF data on iPhone without an app: swipe up on a photo to see camera, date and location. Here's what you can edit or remove and what goes when you share. - [Where to Store Passport and ID Scans on iPhone (Safely)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/store-passport-id-scans-iphone): Don't leave passport and ID scans in your camera roll. Compare Photos, Hidden album, Notes, Files, Apple Wallet and a vault, then follow a 5-step safe setup. - [How to Remove Location From Photos on iPhone (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/remove-location-from-photos-iphone): Remove location from photos on iPhone in a few taps: turn off Location in the share sheet, strip it from a photo with Adjust Location and stop Camera saving it. --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000