How to View a PDF's Metadata Online for Free
Inspect what a PDF actually records — title, author, creator, producer and creation/modification dates. Runs entirely in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
What PDF metadata contains
Most PDFs carry a small amount of embedded bookkeeping beyond the visible pages: a title, an author, the software that created the file (creator/producer), keywords, and creation and modification timestamps. Part lives in the Info dictionary, part in XMP metadata, and PDFs from different tools store different subsets.
That's useful for provenance: confirming who made a file, when, and with what tool — handy when auditing documents you've received or keeping track of files your own systems generate.
What the viewer shows
The PDF Metadata Viewer lists the page count first, then the title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer whenever the file records them, followed by creation/modification dates (read from the Info dictionary or XMP) and any extra or custom entries it finds.
Fields the file doesn't store are skipped rather than shown as empty, and no values are invented — the list is exactly what's embedded in the PDF. If a file has no title, author or date metadata at all, the viewer says so.
Protected and permission-restricted PDFs
PDFs that only restrict printing or editing (no open password) can be inspected directly. Files locked with an open password must be opened with the password first — or unlocked with the Unlock PDF tool — before their metadata can be read.
All inspection happens in your browser: the file is never uploaded, which matters when you're auditing a document you didn't create.
What metadata won't tell you
Metadata records what the file's creator chose to write down. It won't reveal hidden layers or image EXIF, and author/creator fields can be blank, generic, or set to anything. Treat it as evidence of provenance, not proof of it.
The viewer is read-only — it doesn't edit or strip metadata. If you need to change embedded metadata, use dedicated desktop software that supports it.
Try it free — PDF Metadata Viewer
Read a PDF’s metadata — page count, title, author, creator, producer and creation/modified dates — without leaving the browser.
Open PDF Metadata Viewer