PDF Metadata Editor

PDF Protect sets permission flags inside the PDF that control what viewers are allowed to do with the document after it is opened. The six controllable permissions are: printing, high-resolution printing, copying text and images, modifying the document, filling form fields, and adding annotations. You can allow some and block others in any combination. Crucially, a protected PDF opens freely without a password — readers simply cannot perform the restricted actions because their PDF viewer enforces the flags. PDF Password, by contrast, applies AES encryption that prevents the file from being opened at all without the correct password. The two approaches solve different problems. Use Protect for a publicly distributed document where you want to prevent tampering but do not need to restrict who can read it. A published whitepaper, a product specification, or a government form are good examples. Requiring a password to open would frustrate legitimate readers. Use PDF Password when the content is confidential and must be kept from unauthorised readers entirely. Note that permission flags are a deterrent enforced by compliant PDF viewers, not a cryptographic guarantee. A user with command-line tools can remove flags from an unencrypted PDF. For legally binding access control, use PDF Password encryption.

Every major PDF reader respects the standard permission flags defined in the PDF specification, enforcing them by default when the document is not also encrypted. This includes Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Apple Preview on macOS and iOS, Google Chrome's built-in PDF viewer, Microsoft Edge's built-in PDF viewer, Mozilla Firefox, Foxit Reader, Nitro PDF, and the default PDF apps on Android. When printing is restricted, the print button is grayed out or the print dialog is blocked. When copying is restricted, selecting text produces nothing in the clipboard. When modification is restricted, editing tools are disabled. This enforcement relies on the viewer application choosing to comply with the flags. Compliant viewers, which represent the vast majority used by ordinary readers, all enforce the restrictions. A technically skilled user can deliberately circumvent the flags using command-line tools such as qpdf or by simply using a non-compliant reader. This is why permission flags are described as a deterrent rather than a security guarantee. For legally enforceable protection, combine permission flags with a strong owner password, which prevents the flags themselves from being altered without the password, using our PDF Password tool.

Yes. The tool exposes all standard PDF metadata fields for editing: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator application, Producer application, Creation Date, and Modification Date. These fields are visible in the File Properties panel of Adobe Acrobat and in the info sidebar of most PDF readers. They also appear in operating system search results on macOS Spotlight, Windows File Explorer, and Linux desktop indexers. Clean, accurate metadata makes your PDF easier to find, more professional, and better suited to archival requirements. Many legal firms, publishers, and government agencies require the Author field to match the responsible individual or department, and the Title to reflect the official document name. The Creator and Producer fields, which are normally populated by the authoring software, can reveal the software version used to make the file. This can be sensitive information in some contexts — replacing these with a generic string prevents unintended disclosure of internal tooling. Keywords are comma-separated terms used by search engines and document management systems to index the file. Adding relevant keywords to a PDF you plan to publish improves its discoverability in external search. All processing happens in your browser — nothing leaves your device.

Permission flag changes are fully reversible. Run the Protect tool again on the output file with different settings and the new flags overwrite the old ones completely. You can freely cycle between restricting printing, allowing it, restricting copying, and allowing it in subsequent passes. Document metadata changes are also reversible if you retain the original values or a backup of the file before editing. However, if a PDF is simultaneously encrypted with an owner password and the flags are set, you must supply the correct owner password to change the flags. Without the owner password, the permission flags cannot be altered and the document remains locked in its current permission state. If you applied an owner password and subsequently forgot it, you must first remove the encryption using our PDF Unlock tool, which attempts recovery, before you can modify the flags. To avoid this situation, always keep an unprotected backup copy of the original PDF before applying permissions or passwords to a production document. Saving the backup to a different folder or a cloud drive separate from the working copy prevents accidental overwriting of the only unprotected version you have.