A PDF names the person who made it, the software that made it, when it was made and when it was last touched, in two places. StripShot removes both layers in your browser, writes fresh document IDs and leaves the pages exactly as they render today.
Last updated September 2026
Drop the PDF below. StripShot reads the Info dictionary and XMP stream, shows you the Author, Creator, Producer, dates and IDs, then rewrites the file without them. Content streams, fonts, images and links are carried over unchanged.
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Drop a file here, or click to choose
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| Where | What it holds | Removed |
|---|---|---|
| Info dictionary | Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, ModDate | Yes, every key and the object itself |
| XMP stream on the catalog | The same fields in XML plus xmp:CreatorTool, edit history, DocumentID and InstanceID | Yes |
| XMP streams on pages | Per-page metadata some exporters attach | Yes |
| Orphaned /Type /Metadata streams | Left behind by earlier tools that unlinked but did not delete | Yes |
| Trailer /ID pair | Two hashes that tie every saved version of a file together | Replaced with fresh random values |
| Comments and highlights | The comment, who wrote it and when | Names and dates removed, text kept |
| Digital signatures | The signer's name, certificate, date, reason and place | Removed, so the clean copy is unsigned |
| App editing data | Private data Illustrator and other apps keep for editing, often with the creator's name | Removed |
| Earlier saves | Old copies of changed parts, kept when a PDF is saved by adding to the end | Removed |
| Form fields (/AcroForm) | Fillable fields and their values | Reported, kept |
| Pictures | EXIF, GPS and XMP saved with a JPEG photo | Removed, with the same pixels |
| Attached files | Files carried inside the PDF, with their own author and folder names | Removed |
| Content streams, fonts | The pages themselves | Kept byte for byte |
The Producer field is the quiet one. Word, Google Docs, Canva, Acrobat, macOS Quartz, LibreOffice and every PDF library write their own name and version there, and many write the operating system too. A PDF generated by a script usually announces the library that built it. If the goal is a file that says nothing about its origin, the Producer has to go along with the Author.
Only JPEG pictures are checked for their own metadata. Attached files are removed, not cleaned. A signature box keeps its look on the page, but it is no longer signed. Encrypted PDFs need to be unlocked first.
Drop the PDF
Drag the file into the tool above. It is parsed in your browser and the properties are listed.
Read the scan
You will see the Author, Creator application, Producer, dates, any XMP packets, the document ID pair, comment authors, signatures and form fields.
Strip
Click Strip. Every Info key is deleted, the XMP streams on the catalog and the pages are unlinked and removed, and fresh random document IDs are written.
Download
The output is re-scanned so you can see what is left. Download the clean PDF.
Two layers. The Info dictionary holds Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator (the app that made the content), Producer (the library that wrote the PDF) and the creation and modification dates. The XMP metadata stream repeats those in XML and adds the creator tool, edit history and a DocumentID and InstanceID pair. The trailer also carries an /ID pair that links every saved version of the same file.
No. StripShot deletes the metadata objects and rewrites the file structure. Content streams, fonts, images, links and form fields are carried over as they are. The file is re-serialized, not re-rendered, so text stays selectable and vector graphics stay vector.
The PDF is written out fresh with the metadata objects gone and any dead objects from earlier saves dropped. Depending on how the original was packed, the result can be slightly smaller or slightly larger. The content is the same.
exiftool edits a PDF by appending an update, which means the old metadata is still inside the file and can be recovered until the file is rewritten. StripShot writes a new file with the metadata objects removed, so there is nothing left to recover.
Yes. Comments, highlights and sticky notes keep their text and lose the names and dates. Links and form fields are left as they are.
No. Any change to a signed PDF breaks its signature, and a broken signature still names the signer. So StripShot removes the signature, and the clean copy is an unsigned PDF with the same pages. Strip before signing, not after.
Open and save the file without the password first. Encrypted PDFs cannot be rewritten without the key.
No. The file is parsed and rewritten inside your browser. StripShot has no server route that receives file bytes.
Author, company, session IDs and comments in Office files.
Zero-width and hidden Unicode in text.
The provenance standard behind AI labels.
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Last updated October 3, 2026.