{"id":48,"date":"2026-08-11T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/what-metadata-is-stored-in-a-pdf\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T08:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T08:14:10","slug":"what-metadata-is-stored-in-a-pdf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/what-metadata-is-stored-in-a-pdf\/","title":{"rendered":"What Metadata Is Stored in a PDF?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A PDF stores metadata in two places: a Document Information dictionary (the classic Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer and the creation and modification dates) and an XMP packet (an XML block that can hold the same fields plus more). Most of this is invisible in a normal reader but travels with the file.<\/strong> It&#8217;s how a document you thought was anonymous can still name you, your software, and exactly when you wrote it. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s actually in there.<\/p>\n<p>This guide lists the standard metadata fields, explains the two storage locations, and shows how to read them with the <a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/pdf-metadata-extractor\/\">PDF metadata extractor<\/a> in your browser.<\/p>\n<h2>The two places metadata lives<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Document Information dictionary (the &#8220;Info&#8221; dictionary).<\/strong> The original PDF metadata store \u2014 a simple set of key\/value fields. Every PDF reader can show it under &#8220;Document Properties&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The XMP packet.<\/strong> A newer, XML-based metadata block (Adobe&#8217;s Extensible Metadata Platform) embedded in the file. It can duplicate the Info fields and carry much more \u2014 rights, tool history, custom fields. When the two disagree, modern software generally trusts XMP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A thorough metadata reader checks both, because a field can be blank in one and filled in the other.<\/p>\n<h2>The standard fields<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Title<\/strong> \u2014 the document&#8217;s title (often not the filename).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Author<\/strong> \u2014 frequently your real name or account name, set automatically by the software.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Subject<\/strong> and <strong>Keywords<\/strong> \u2014 description and tags, if the author added them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Creator<\/strong> \u2014 the application the document was <em>authored<\/em> in (e.g. &#8220;Microsoft Word&#8221;).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Producer<\/strong> \u2014 the library or app that <em>wrote the PDF<\/em> (e.g. &#8220;Acrobat Distiller&#8221;, &#8220;Skia\/PDF&#8221;, a specific converter). This often reveals the exact software and version.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CreationDate<\/strong> and <strong>ModDate<\/strong> \u2014 when the PDF was created and last modified, usually down to the second and time zone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What this can unintentionally reveal<\/h2>\n<p>Because most of these fields are set <em>automatically<\/em>, a PDF can leak more than its author intended:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Who made it<\/strong> \u2014 the Author field often carries a real name or corporate username.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What software and version<\/strong> \u2014 the Producer\/Creator pair fingerprints the toolchain, which matters for both privacy and document forensics.<\/li>\n<li><strong>When it was made and edited<\/strong> \u2014 the timestamps can contradict a document&#8217;s claimed date, or show it was edited after &#8220;final&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>None of this shows on the page, which is exactly why it&#8217;s worth checking before sharing a sensitive document.<\/p>\n<h2>How to read a PDF&#8217;s metadata<\/h2>\n<p>Drop the file into the <a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/pdf-metadata-extractor\/\">PDF metadata extractor<\/a>: it reads both the Info dictionary and the XMP packet and lists every field it finds, in your browser, with the file never uploaded. That last point matters \u2014 you&#8217;re inspecting a document precisely because it might be sensitive, so it shouldn&#8217;t be sent to a server to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve seen what&#8217;s there, the next question is usually removing it before you share \u2014 covered in <a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/remove-hidden-metadata-before-sharing-pdf\/\">how to remove hidden metadata before sharing a PDF<\/a>. For metadata in other file types, see <a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/exif-extractor\/\">EXIF in photos<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/office-metadata-extractor\/\">Office metadata extractor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>What metadata does a PDF contain?<\/strong><br \/>\nTitle, Author, Subject, Keywords, the Creator and Producer software, and creation and modification dates \u2014 stored in the Info dictionary and\/or an XMP packet inside the file.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where is metadata stored in a PDF?<\/strong><br \/>\nIn two places: the Document Information dictionary (the classic fields) and an XMP metadata packet (XML). A field can appear in one, the other, or both.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can a PDF reveal who wrote it?<\/strong><br \/>\nOften, yes. The Author field is usually filled automatically with a real name or username, and the Producer field reveals the software used.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do I see a PDF&#8217;s hidden metadata?<\/strong><br \/>\nOpen it in a <a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/pdf-metadata-extractor\/\">PDF metadata extractor<\/a>, which reads both the Info dictionary and the XMP packet and lists every field.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is PDF metadata visible on the page?<\/strong><br \/>\nNo. It&#8217;s stored in the file&#8217;s structure, not drawn on the page, so it stays with the document invisibly unless you inspect or remove it.<\/p>\n<h2>Related reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/remove-hidden-metadata-before-sharing-pdf\/\">How to remove hidden metadata before sharing a PDF<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/what-is-data-extraction\/\">What is data extraction?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Last updated: 16 August 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[\n{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What metadata does a PDF contain?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, the Creator and Producer software, and creation and modification dates, stored in the Info dictionary and\/or an XMP packet inside the file.\"}},\n{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where is metadata stored in a PDF?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"In two places: the Document Information dictionary (the classic fields) and an XMP metadata packet (XML). 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The Author field is usually filled automatically with a real name or username, and the Producer field reveals the software used.\"}},\n{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How do I see a PDF's hidden metadata?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Open it in a PDF metadata extractor, which reads both the Info dictionary and the XMP packet and lists every field.\"}},\n{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is PDF metadata visible on the page?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. It's stored in the file's structure, not drawn on the page, so it stays with the document invisibly unless you inspect or remove it.\"}}\n]}<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A PDF stores metadata in two places: a Document Information dictionary (the classic Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer and the creation and modification dates) and an XMP packet (an XML block that can\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"What Metadata Is Stored in a PDF? (Author, Dates, Software and More)","description":"A PDF carries hidden metadata \u2014 author, title, the software that made it, and creation and modification dates \u2014 in two places: the Info dictionary and an XMP packet. Here's what's there and how to read it."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69,"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions\/69"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyextract.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}