Why this matters
The Author field is auto-populated from your Microsoft account (Windows) or Adobe account (Acrobat) — usually your real name.
On corporate Office 365 deployments, the Author field often contains your full corporate email address.
Even after you 'Save As' and remove your name from the visible content, the Author metadata stays attached.
Anonymous sharing (whistleblowing, anonymous job applications, anonymous peer review) requires fully unattaching the owner name.
What the scanner detects
- Author field (your name, auto-populated)
- Creator field (your editing software)
- Producer field (the PDF generation library)
- Original file path (sometimes contains your OS username)
- XMP metadata block (often duplicates the Author field)
Ready to scan your PDF?
Drop your file into the scanner. Results in 5 seconds. Nothing leaves your browser.
Open the scannerHow it works
Click "Scan your PDF now" above. The scanner opens in your browser tab — no download, no install.
Drop in your PDF. The file is parsed entirely in your browser using JavaScript. No upload, no server, no logs.
Review your 0–100 risk score, the list of findings, and the AI-generated redaction recommendations. Then take action.
Frequently asked questions
How do I unattach the owner name from a PDF?
Drop your PDF into the scanner above. It reads the info dictionary locally, removes the Author field (and Creator, Producer, timestamps for completeness), strips the XMP block, and downloads the cleaned PDF. The original owner name is gone from the file's bytes.
Why does my PDF have someone else's name attached?
PDFs auto-attach the creator's name from their OS account (Windows) or Adobe account (Acrobat). If you received a PDF from someone else, their name is in the Author field. If you 'Save As' from their PDF, their name often carries forward.
Does 'Save As' remove the original owner name?
No. 'Save As' preserves all original metadata by default. Some PDF editors let you change the Author field manually via File → Properties, but this is per-file and easy to forget. A metadata stripper is the reliable way to unattach the owner name.
Can the original owner name be recovered after stripping?
If you use a proper stripper that removes the field from the info dictionary AND the XMP block, no — the data is gone from the file's bytes. If you only blank the visible field, the original may still be recoverable with a hex editor. PrivacyScanPDF removes both.
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Sanitize a PDF Before Uploading to a Public Server
Before uploading a PDF to a public server (court filing system, grant portal, government website, public records repository), you should sanitize it: remove all metadata, embedded JavaScript, file attachments, and any PII in the visible text. This tool scans your PDF locally and shows you exactly what needs to be sanitized before upload.
Your PDF never leaves your device
Every operation runs as JavaScript in your browser tab. No upload endpoint exists. Verify it yourself in DevTools (F12 → Network).