Edit PDF properties and metadata

Set the title, author, subject and keywords a PDF reports about itself, without opening it in an editor.

or drop it here · it never leaves your device

Processed in your browser. Your files are never uploaded. Check it yourself

How to edit the properties of a PDF

Every PDF carries a small record of itself: a title, an author, a subject and some keywords. Browsers use the title for the tab, search tools use the keywords, and the author tells the next reader who to ask. These values are often wrong or empty, because a file picks up the name of the program or the draft it came from.

This tool lets you set them. It also shows the other facts the file records about itself, so you can see what a PDF is saying before you send it. To strip such information out instead, use Remove metadata.

1
Open the PDF and read what it says now
Press Choose a PDF or drop the file on the panel. The file is read on your device and six boxes fill in: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Created with and Produced by. A box that is empty means the file has no value for it.

On the right, under “The rest of the file”, a read-only list shows facts the file records about itself, such as the page size, the PDF version, the created and last-modified dates, and how many attachments, form fields, comments and links it holds.
2
Change the boxes you care about
Type over any value. A box you change shows “Changed” beneath it. To remove a value, empty the box. Boxes you do not touch are left exactly as they are, including ones that hold text this tool cannot display well.

To add your own labelled note, press Add a custom property, give it a name such as Department and a value. Names cannot contain spaces or any of the characters ( ) < > [ ] { } / % #, and they cannot reuse one of the standard names. A message under the row says which rule a name breaks.
3
Save the properties
The Save properties button stays disabled until at least one box differs from the file, and the line under it counts how many kinds of property will change. Press it and the new copy is made in a moment.

The result card lists each entry that changed with the value before and after, marked Changed, Added or Cleared. If the values you typed were already in the file, it says nothing needed changing instead of pretending.
4
Check it in a reader
Download yourfile-properties.pdf and open it. In most readers, File, then Properties (or Document Properties), shows the same values. A browser that displays a PDF’s title will show the new one on the tab. Your original file is not touched.

Edit properties features

Change the title, author, subject, keywords, creating program and producer
Add, change or remove your own custom properties
Boxes you leave alone stay exactly as they are
The copy of these values in the XMP metadata, if the file has one, is kept in step
Shows the other facts the file records, read-only
Pages, text, images and the created and modified dates are not touched

Editing PDF metadata without uploading the file

The file is read into this browser tab, the values are written by code on your own device, and the new copy is made there. The text you type is not sent anywhere.

Only the boxes you change are written. An empty box that was empty stays empty, and a box you clear is removed from the file.
XMP is kept in step. Some files repeat the title and author in a second place called XMP, and some readers look there first. If the file has that second copy, it is updated to match.
Pages and dates are untouched. The text, images and layout are the same, and the created and modified dates are left as they are.
The file is rewritten, so a digital signature on the original will no longer validate. You are warned first.

How to prove your file never left your device: a two-minute Network-tab and offline test you can run on this tool.

Worked example

Giving a scanned report a proper title

A report was exported with the title “scan_0042” and no author. Open it, replace the title with “Annual report 2026”, type the department name as the author and add the keywords “annual, finance, 2026”. Add a custom property called Department with the value Finance.

Press Save properties. The report lists three standard entries and one custom entry as changed, each with its before and after. Open the new file in a browser that shows PDF titles on its tab, and the tab now reads “Annual report 2026”.

Good to know about PDF properties

Write the title for a stranger. “Annual report 2026” is more useful in a browser tab than a file name.
Separate keywords with commas. Most readers show them as one line of text.
To clear a value, empty its box. To remove everything personal in one go, use Remove metadata.
Do it before you protect or sign the file. Changing properties afterwards writes a new copy.

What each property is for, and who reads it

The six standard properties come from the original PDF specification, so any program can read them. What people see depends on the program.

Property	Meant to hold	Where it tends to turn up
Title	The name of the document, as a person would say it	The browser tab or window title, the reader’s properties window, and the first thing a screen reader announces when the file opens
Author	The person or organisation responsible for the content	The properties window, and reference managers that read it when you import the file
Subject	A one-line description	The properties window and some document managers
Keywords	Search words, usually separated by commas	The properties window and indexing tools that read it
Created with	The program that made the original document	The properties window
Produced by	The program that wrote the PDF file	The properties window

Title and Author are the two worth setting properly. The others are optional, and “Created with” and “Produced by” describe software, so most people leave them alone unless a form or a portal asks what made the file.

Why the file sometimes says two different things

A PDF can record its title and author in two places: the document information, which every PDF has, and an XMP packet, an extra block that many office programs and design tools add. When the two disagree, a reader that looks at XMP first shows one answer while a reader that looks at the information shows the other. That is how a file can have one title in the tab and another in the properties window.

This tool handles both. When the file has an XMP packet, the title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer you change here are written to the packet as well, and the rest of the packet is left as it was. When the file has no XMP packet, none is created. Custom properties live in the document information only, because XMP has no place for them in this tool’s scope.

Special characters are escaped properly in the packet, so a title such as Q&A: <draft> arrives as you typed it.

Custom properties: your own labelled notes

A custom property is a name and a value stored with the file, for things the six standard properties do not cover. Useful examples are a Department, a CaseNumber, a Reviewed date written out in full, or a Version. Some readers list them in a Custom tab of the properties window, and scripts that process batches of PDFs can read them without opening the pages.

The rules, and why they exist

No spaces and none of ( ) < > [ ] { } / % #. PDF names are written without delimiters, so these characters would have to be encoded, and different programs show the encoded form differently. Use a dash or an underscore: Case-Number.
Up to 127 bytes. This is the name length every reader is expected to accept.
Not a standard name. Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, ModDate and Trapped have their own meaning, so the tool refuses to use them as custom names.
Unique. Two rows with the same name would overwrite each other, so the second is flagged.

Removing a custom row removes the property from the file when you save.

Set the properties, or strip them: which tool to pick

You want to	Use
Give a file a proper title or author before you publish or send it	This tool
Put a department, case number or version into the file	This tool, as a custom property
Replace a wrong author name left by a template	This tool
Remove the author, dates, attachments, scripts and comments in one go	Remove metadata
Remove a name that is printed on the page	Redact PDF
Lock the file after setting its properties	Protect PDF

The two tools can be used in sequence: strip everything with Remove metadata, then come back here and set a clean title and an author you are happy to share. A file with only a good title and your organisation’s name as the author tells a reader what they need and nothing more.

A proper title helps people who use screen readers

When a PDF opens, a screen reader typically announces the document title. If the title property is empty, the reader may fall back on the file name, which is often something like scan_0042.pdf or final_v3_REVISED.pdf. A real title is a small kindness, and for public bodies and employers it is part of making documents accessible.

This tool sets the title property. Whether a particular reader shows the title or the file name in its window is a setting inside each PDF (the document’s “display title” preference), which this tool does not change. Where a browser or reader ignores the title, that preference is the usual reason.

How long it takes, and what happens to the file size

Saving properties rewrites the whole file, but the work is small. On our test PC (a four-core laptop), a 15-page, 2.2 MB academic paper took about half a second, a 130-page, 1.3 MB planning document about 0.4 seconds, and a 198-page, 1.8 MB government guidance document about 0.7 seconds. A 140 KB tax form took 0.05 seconds. A slower phone will take longer, but not by the minutes that larger edits can need.

The new file is written afresh instead of having changes added to the end, so its size can differ slightly from the original. It has the same pages, text and images.

What this tool does not do

It does not change the page content. A name printed in the text stays there. Use Redact PDF for that.
It does not edit the created or modified date. They are shown for your information, and they are left as they are in the file.
It does not rename the file. The download is your original name plus “-properties”. Rename it yourself if the name says too much.
It breaks digital signatures, as any tool that saves a changed file must. A banner appears when a signature is detected.
Password-protected files ask for the password to open, and the new copy is saved without one. Add a new password afterwards with Protect PDF if you need it.
Each box takes up to 500 characters. Longer values are cut at the box, not saved in part.

Setting properties in other programs

Where	How	Catch
Word	Set the properties under File, Info before you save as PDF, and keep the option that includes document properties.	Only works from the source document. It does not help with a PDF you received.
LibreOffice Writer	File, Properties, Description, then export to PDF.	Same: it needs the source file.
Adobe Acrobat Pro	File, Properties, Description edits title, author, subject and keywords.	The editing feature is in the paid edition.
Command-line tools	Several free programs can set properties from a script.	Fine for batches if you are comfortable with a terminal.

The advantage of doing it here is that it works on any PDF you already have, needs no installation and keeps the file on your device.

Edit properties: troubleshooting

“Change at least one box to save.”: Every box matches the file as it was opened. Edit a value, or add a custom property, and the button enables.
“Fix the custom property names first.”: A custom name breaks a rule: it is empty, has a space or one of the blocked characters, reuses a standard name, or repeats another row. The message under the row says which.
The browser tab still shows the old title: Open the new file, not the original, and close any tab that has the old one open. If it still shows the file name, the file’s own display-title preference is off, which this tool does not change.
The file manager or search tool still shows the old author: Many desktop programs cache the properties of files they have seen. Move or rename the new file, or wait for the cache to refresh.
A banner says the file has a digital signature: Saving a changed file makes the signature invalid. Keep the signed original, and use the changed copy only where an unsigned file is fine.
“This PDF needs a password”: Enter the password at the prompt. If you do not have one, nothing here can open the file.
“This PDF looks damaged”: Run Repair PDF first, then set the properties on the repaired copy.
The result card says “Nothing needed changing”: The values you entered were already in the file. This happens when a box is changed and then typed back to the original.

Glossary

Document properties: The title, author and similar values a PDF stores about itself. Also called the document information.
Metadata: Data about a document rather than its content. The properties are the best-known part of it.
XMP: An XML block, optional in a PDF, that repeats some properties and can hold more. Some readers read it before the document information.
Custom property: A name and value you define yourself, stored with the standard properties.
Creator and Producer: Creator is the program that made the source document, Producer the one that wrote the PDF.
Digital signature: A cryptographic seal over the file’s contents. Any change after signing makes it show as invalid.

Edit PDF properties: frequently asked questions

Which properties can I change?

Title, author, subject, keywords, the program that created the document, the program that produced the PDF, and any custom properties you add. The created and modified dates are shown but not changed.

Does it change what the pages look like?

No. The pages, text, images and fonts are the same. Only the properties change.

Is my file uploaded?

No. The file is read and rewritten in your browser tab, on your device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere, and you can check this yourself.

Why does my PDF show a different title in different programs?

Some files record the title twice, in the document information and in an XMP block. Programs differ in which they read. This tool updates both when the file has both.

Can I add my own fields, such as a case number?

Yes. Add a custom property with a name that has no spaces, such as CaseNumber, and a value. Some readers list these in a Custom tab.

Will special characters and accents survive?

Yes. Accents, curly quotes, dashes and non-Latin writing are saved and read back as typed.

What is the difference from Remove metadata?

Remove metadata deletes information, including attachments, scripts and comments. This tool sets the values you want the file to report.

Does it break a digital signature?

Yes, as any tool that saves a changed file does. A banner warns you when a signature is found, so you can keep the signed original.

Can I edit a password-protected PDF?

You will be asked for the password. The saved copy has no password, so add one again with Protect PDF if the file needs it.

Does it work on very large files?

Yes. The work is light: a 198-page, 1.8 MB document took about 0.7 seconds on our test PC. Very large scans depend on your device’s memory.

Page updated 28 October 2026 · By the PDFMagpie team