Clean private data
How to Delete Personal Information from a PDF Before You Share It
Not visible on the page does not mean not in the file. A PDF that looks perfectly clean may still carry your name, the software that produced it, the time it was last modified, and someone else's comments.
What is usually hiding in the file
Beyond the visible page, a PDF carries:
| Category | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Document properties | Title, author, subject, keywords, creating application, producing application, created and modified dates |
| Comments and notes | Highlights, underlines, text annotations, sticky notes — including notes other people left for you |
| Form entries | Names, phone numbers and addresses you typed into AcroForm fields |
| Automatic content | Actions that run when the file opens (OpenAction) and embedded JavaScript |
| Embedded attachments | Other files packaged inside the PDF |
Export tools routinely write your OS username into the Author field and the software version into Creator/Producer. Anyone who opens Properties sees it.
It reports on load: look before you delete
As soon as you pick a file, the tool scans it and lists exactly what it found, item by item with counts. You can see what is there before exporting instead of deleting blind.
If the report says nothing private was found, the file is exported unchanged rather than rebuilt for no reason.
The "keep document properties" switch
By default every document property is removed. Tick "keep document properties (remove only comments / scripts / form data)" and the split becomes:
| Content | Default (unticked) | Keep properties ticked |
|---|---|---|
| Title / Author / Subject / Keywords | Removed | Kept |
| Creator / Producer | Removed | Kept |
| Created / modified dates | Removed | Kept |
| Comments and sticky notes | Removed | Removed |
| JavaScript and open actions | Removed | Removed |
| Form field values | Removed | Removed |
Use it when you want to keep outward-facing information such as "Author: Some Company" but still clear comments and scripts.
The important cost: incremental-save history is lost
Cleaning works by rebuilding the file structure, not by editing the original in place. That has one side effect:
PDF supports incremental saves — many editors never delete the old content, they append the new version, so earlier revisions remain inside the file and can still be recovered from the structure. After a rebuild those history revisions, and the old visible content with them, are gone.
If the file came from a workflow or approval system and may contain revisions, keep a copy of the original first and clean a duplicate.
Why a black box is not enough
Many people draw a black rectangle over an ID number with the annotation tools. That is not a deletion — the text layer is unchanged, and selecting the area restores it.
The two tools operate at different layers and are usually used together:
| Redact | Clean Private Data | |
|---|---|---|
| What it targets | Content visible on the page | Hidden information in the file structure |
| How it works | Renders the page to an image, then paints over | Rebuilds the file so the target nodes are gone |
| Text layer | Lost across the whole file | Unchanged — still searchable and copyable |
| Use for | Covering IDs and phone numbers before sending | Clearing names, comments and scripts before sending |
If you need both, redact first (it rebuilds the page), then clean (it rebuilds the structure).
Is the file uploaded?
No. Cleaning runs entirely in your browser and the file never leaves your device.