Sign and secure
See what your PDF gives away, then remove it
A PDF can carry far more than its pages: the author's name and the program used, earlier drafts saved inside the file, attached spreadsheets, scripts, reviewers' comments, what was typed in a form. This check finds all of it and removes what you choose. Because it runs entirely in your browser, the file you are worried about is never uploaded anywhere.
or drop files here, or paste with Ctrl/Cmd+V
PDF · up to 50 files · 100 MB each · checked on your device
No file to hand?
Your files stay on your device. The check and the clean-up both run in this tab. Check it yourself
How to use PDF Privacy Check
Add your PDFs
Drop one or more PDFs on the box. Each is checked as soon as it is added.
Read the report
See what was found, with names, dates and file names, and untick anything you want to keep.
Clean and download
Press Remove. The clean copy is checked again, so you see what, if anything, is left.
What the check looks at, and how cleaning works
PlumPDF reads the structure of the file, not just its pages: the Info dictionary and XMP stream, the trailer of every save, the catalog's name trees for attachments and scripts, the actions attached to the document, its pages and its fields, every annotation, the form, the optional content settings, and the private data dictionaries some programs leave.
Cleaning removes what you ticked, then writes the PDF out afresh and drops every object nothing points to any more. That is what removes earlier versions and the leftovers of what was cleaned, rather than just hiding them.
Pages, fonts, images, links and bookmarks are kept. Form fields stay in the file, empty, when you clear their entries.
Questions about PDF Privacy Check
What hidden information can a PDF contain?
The author's name, the title, the programs used and the dates (document properties and their XMP copy); earlier versions kept by incremental saves, which can include deleted text; attached files; JavaScript and automatic actions; comments with reviewers' names; entries typed in form fields; switched-off layers; and private editing data some design programs store.
How do I remove metadata from a PDF?
Add the PDF above. The report lists the document properties it found, such as the author and the program. Keep Document properties ticked and press Remove. To only change a title or an author, use Edit PDF Metadata.
What are "earlier versions of the file"?
Many programs save a PDF by adding the changes to the end of the file instead of rewriting it. The earlier version stays inside, and anyone with the right tool can read it, including text you deleted. PlumPDF counts the saves and, when cleaning, writes the file afresh with only its current version.
Why is my file not uploaded for checking?
Because it does not need to be. The check and the clean-up run on your device, in your browser tab, on your device. That is the point: a privacy check that sends your file to a server would defeat itself. Disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it still works.
Does it check the text on the pages?
No. It looks at everything the file carries besides the visible pages. Read the pages themselves before sharing, and to hide text on a page properly, remove it in the original document and make the PDF again.
Why are hidden layers only reported?
Removing a layer means deleting part of the drawing on each page, which can go wrong in ways that are hard to spot. PlumPDF tells you which layers are switched off, so you can look at them in a PDF reader and decide.