PDF Metadata Viewer
Read the properties stored inside a PDF: its title, author, subject and keywords, the program that created it, the creation and modification dates, the PDF version, the size of every page and more. The file is only read, never changed and never uploaded.
Drop a PDF file here
PDF only, up to 200 MB. One file at a time.
Your files stay in this browser tab. Nothing is uploaded, saved or logged.
How PDF Metadata Viewer works
Every PDF carries a small block of descriptive fields, the information dictionary, that the program creating it fills in. The viewer reads those fields, the PDF version written at the top of the file, and the visible area of every page, then shows them in one table. Fields that are empty in the file are shown as Not set rather than hidden, so you can tell absent from blank.
Page sizes are measured on what a viewer displays: the crop box when the page has one, the media box otherwise, with the width and height swapped for pages rotated by 90 or 270 degrees. Sizes are given in points (1/72 inch) and millimetres, and named when they are within two points of a standard paper size such as A4 or US Letter. Pages of the same size are grouped.
The values are whatever the creating program wrote, and anyone can edit them. A date or an author in the metadata is a clue, not proof of when or by whom a document was made.
How to use it
- Select a PDF file, or drop it on the area at the top of the tool.
- Read the table: document details first, then page sizes, bookmarks and form fields.
- Choose Copy as text or Download as JSON to keep the information, or Choose another file to read another one.
Example
| Page size read from a file | What the table shows |
|---|---|
| 595 × 842 pt | 595 × 842 pt (210 × 297 mm), A4 |
| 612 × 792 pt | 612 × 792 pt (216 × 279 mm), US Letter |
| 842 × 595 pt | 842 × 595 pt (297 × 210 mm), A4 landscape |
| 500 × 500 pt | 500 × 500 pt (176 × 176 mm) |
Limits and good to know
- Files up to 200 MB. The document is held in your device’s memory while it is read.
- Password-protected PDFs cannot be read. Remove the protection first, which requires the password.
- Only the standard document information, the PDF version, page boxes, bookmarks and form fields are shown. XMP metadata packets, embedded files and digital signatures are not displayed.
Frequently asked questions
Does the viewer change my PDF or upload it?
No to both. The file is opened read-only by your own browser, so its content and its metadata are untouched, and nothing is sent anywhere. You can confirm it in the Network tab of your browser’s developer tools.
Why are the title and author empty?
Because the program that made the PDF did not fill them in, which is common for documents exported from a scanner, a browser or a print dialog. The table says Not set for those fields. Some programs put the file name in the title instead.
What is the difference between “Created with” and “PDF producer”?
“Created with” is the application where the document was written, for example a word processor. “PDF producer” is the program that turned it into a PDF, for example the export library or the print driver. They are often different, and either can be missing.
Can I trust the creation and modification dates?
Only as far as you trust the program that wrote them. They are text stored in the file, and any tool can set them to any value. For a document that matters, rely on a digital signature or the record of where the file came from, not on its metadata.
Why does my PDF have pages of different sizes?
Documents assembled from several sources often mix sizes, for instance A4 text pages with a landscape chart or a US Letter scan. The page sizes line lists each size once with the number of pages that have it, so you can see where the odd ones are.