Every PDF carries a small set of document properties alongside its actual pages -- a title, an author, a subject, and a list of keywords. Most people never look at them, but they show up in places you don't expect: as the tab title when someone opens your file in a browser, in a colleague's file listing, or buried in a document someone else forwards along without realizing what it says. LockerPDF's Edit PDF Metadata tool lets you view and change these fields entirely in your browser, with nothing uploaded to a server.
What metadata fields you can actually edit
LockerPDF's tool reads and writes four fields: title, author, subject, and keywords -- the same fields most PDF readers show under "Document Properties" or "File Info." When you upload a PDF, its existing values for these fields are loaded straight into the form so you can see what's currently there before changing anything.
This doesn't touch the page content at all. Editing metadata changes only the document's properties -- the text, images, and layout of every page are completely untouched, and the file otherwise opens and prints exactly as it did before.
Reason one: fixing how your PDF displays
Open a PDF in a browser tab and look at the title bar -- if it says "Untitled" or shows a cryptic filename like "scan_final_v2.pdf" instead of something readable, that's the document's Title metadata field (or lack of one) showing through. The same field often controls what shows up when a PDF is listed in a file manager, an email attachment preview, or a document library. Setting a clear, accurate title is a small fix that makes a file easier for you and anyone else to identify later, especially once it's been downloaded, renamed by someone else, or buried a few folders deep.
Reason two: metadata can leak information you didn't mean to share
Metadata fields aren't just cosmetic -- they can carry information you wouldn't want attached to a file you're sending externally. A few common examples:
- The software that created the file, which some export tools stamp into the Producer or Creator fields automatically -- not something you can edit here, but worth knowing exists.
- An author's real name, which may have been auto-filled from whatever account created the document, even if the file is meant to be shared anonymously.
- An internal project name, client name, or document ID left in the Title or Subject field from an internal template or naming convention that shouldn't be visible outside your organization.
- Old keywords carried over from a template or a previous version of the document that no longer apply and could be misleading or revealing.
Before sending a PDF to someone outside your organization -- a client, a public filing, a job application -- it's worth opening it in the metadata tool and checking what's actually in those fields. Clearing a field is as simple as deleting its text and saving; there's no requirement to fill it back in with something else.
How to edit PDF metadata without uploading your file
- Go to the Edit PDF Metadata tool and upload your PDF. Its current title, author, subject, and keywords load into the form automatically.
- Edit any field -- change the title, correct the author name, rewrite the subject, or update the comma-separated keyword list. Clear a field entirely if you'd rather it be blank.
- Click "Save PDF" and download the result.
You can verify none of this is transmitted anywhere: open your browser's developer tools (F12), go to the Network tab, and save a file. There's no outgoing request carrying your document's bytes -- reading and writing metadata both happen locally using JavaScript.
Metadata is a separate concern from what's visible on the page
It's worth being clear about what this tool doesn't do: it doesn't touch the visible content of your pages. If sensitive information is written directly into the text or images on a page -- rather than sitting in the document properties -- editing metadata won't remove it. For that, you'd need Redact PDF, which actually deletes marked content from the page itself rather than adjusting a property field. And if what you want is to mark a document as a draft or confidential rather than clean its metadata, Add Watermark stamps that directly onto every page instead.
FAQ
What metadata fields can I edit?
Title, author, subject, and keywords -- the four fields most PDF readers display under "Document Properties." These load automatically from your file when you upload it, so you can see the current values before making changes.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Metadata is read from and written back to your PDF entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your file is never transmitted to a server -- you can confirm this in your browser's developer tools by checking the Network tab while saving.
Will editing metadata change how the document looks?
No. Only the document properties are changed. The pages themselves -- their text, images, and layout -- are completely untouched by this tool.
Does clearing metadata remove all traces of who created the file?
Clearing the title, author, subject, and keywords fields removes what's stored in those specific properties, but a PDF can carry other metadata (like creation software) outside of what this tool edits. If you need to be certain no identifying content remains, also check the visible page content itself.