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Remove hidden information from a PDF

A PDF carries data you cannot see on the page: who wrote it, with which app, and when. See what is there, then remove it in one tap.

FreeNo sign-upIn your browser

How it works

  1. 1Choose your PDF or drop it here.
  2. 2Quillo lists the hidden information in the file; choose what to remove.
  3. 3Press Clean and download the clean PDF.

What hidden information does a PDF contain?

Every PDF exported from Word or a scanner app carries metadata: the author's name (often your computer user name), company, the software used, and creation and modification dates. Anyone who opens File Properties can read it.

There may also be comments and margin notes, filled-in form fields, files embedded in the PDF and scripts that run on their own. When you send a proposal, a CV or a legal document, you may not want those to travel with it.

Quillo scans the file first and shows what it finds. What you select is really taken out of the file; the pages look the same. Forms are flattened: the values you filled in stay visible but can no longer be edited.

You might also need

Redact PDFPermanently remove private information.Protect PDFAdd an open password to a PDF.Compress PDFShrink files for email and chat.Unlock PDFRemove a password you know.

Questions

How do I remove the author name from a PDF?
Drop the PDF here. With "Delete document info" on, press Clean; author, title, app name and dates are taken out of the file.
Does the text on the pages change?
No. Only information that is not visible on the page is removed. To hide text on a page, use Redact PDF.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Processing happens in your browser, on your own device; your files are never sent to Quillo servers or anywhere else. Nothing is left behind when you close the page.
What does flattening a form mean?
Fillable fields become a fixed part of the page: the values stay visible, but the recipient cannot change them.

Your files are processed in your browser and never sent to our servers.

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