PDF files store a properties dictionary that can include the document title, author name, subject, keywords, the software used to create it (Word, Acrobat, LibreOffice, etc.), creation date, modification date, and a producer string identifying the PDF engine. Some PDFs also embed a thumbnail image and an XMP metadata packet with additional author and rights information.

Why does this matter?

If you created a document in Microsoft Word and exported it as a PDF, the author field likely contains your Windows username. The creation date reveals when you wrote it. The producer string identifies which version of Word you used. When you share that PDF publicly — in a job application, on a website, as a legal filing — all of that goes with it unless you strip it first.

How does this tool work?

SORO uses pdf-lib, a JavaScript PDF manipulation library, to load your file entirely in the browser. It reads the existing metadata fields, zeroes them all out, removes embedded thumbnails and the XMP packet, and produces a new PDF byte stream. That stream is handed to you as a download. Nothing touches a server at any point.

What about encrypted PDFs?

If your PDF has a password, pdf-lib needs it to load the file. Enter the password in the prompt that appears — it is used only in your browser's memory and is never transmitted anywhere. If you've forgotten the password, this tool cannot help without it.