Every PDF metadata field, explained.

The document's proper title. Distinct from the filename — a file called q3-final-v2.pdf can carry the title “Q3 Financial Report”.

Why it matters — PDF readers show it in the window or tab instead of the filename, and document management systems index it. Setting it makes a document look finished and searchable.

The person or organisation credited with writing the document.

Why it matters — Usually filled in automatically from your operating system or office suite account name, which means it often contains your real full name without you realising.

A short description of what the document is about — effectively a one-line abstract.

Why it matters — Improves findability in document libraries and gives colleagues context without opening the file.

A list of search terms associated with the document.

Why it matters — Indexed by desktop search, enterprise DMS platforms, and some site search engines. Useful for grouping documents that don't share words in their titles.

The application that produced the original document, before it became a PDF.

Why it matters — Reveals your software stack — for example that a contract was drafted in a specific word processor, or a diagram came from a particular design tool.

The software that performed the actual PDF conversion or last saved the file.

Why it matters — Often exposes exact product and version strings, which can hint at an unpatched application or an organisation's licensing. Many tools silently overwrite this with their own name on save.

When the PDF was first created, stored with a timezone offset.

Why it matters — The timezone offset alone can narrow down your location, and the timestamp can contradict a claimed timeline — a common issue with documents submitted as evidence or to a deadline.

When the PDF was last changed.

Why it matters — Shows that a document was revised after its stated date, and how recently it was touched. Frequently overlooked when back-dating a file.

Records whether the file has been through trapping, a prepress step that compensates for slight misregistration between colour plates on a printing press.

Why it matters — Only meaningful in professional print production, where a printer may reject or re-process a file based on this flag. Safe to leave unset for everyday documents.

Arbitrary key/value pairs that applications and organisations add to the Info dictionary beyond the nine standard entries.

Why it matters — Often used for internal tracking — matter numbers, department codes, template versions, workflow IDs. These can expose internal naming conventions when a document is shared externally.

An XML block holding structured metadata under the Extensible Metadata Platform standard. It can duplicate the Info dictionary and add much more — editing history, rights statements, tool identifiers.

Why it matters — Because it is a second, independent copy of the metadata, clearing the visible document properties can leave the XMP data behind. Any thorough cleanup has to handle both.