How to anonymize a PDF
- Drop your PDF above — every metadata field it carries is shown, including whether a hidden XMP stream exists.
- Click “Strip all metadata”. Fields are blanked and the XMP stream is removed. (Or edit fields individually — e.g., replace an author name with a candidate number.)
- Download and share the cleaned copy. Your original is untouched.
What this does and doesn't cover
Metadata stripping makes the file anonymous: who wrote it, with what, on whose machine. It does not touch what's written on the pages — names in the text, headers, or scanned letterheads need redaction, which is a different operation (and one most free tools get dangerously wrong by drawing black boxes over still-present text). A correct redaction tool is on the Sleek PDF roadmap; until then, this tool covers the half of anonymity that's invisible and most often forgotten.
Common uses for anonymizing PDFs
- Anonymize a CV — strip author details for blind recruitment or review.
- Prepare a document for release — remove hidden metadata before a legal or public filing.
- Protect a source — clear identifying data before publishing a document.
Frequently asked questions
What identifying information hides in a PDF?
The document information fields commonly carry the author's real name or company username, the software used, and sometimes the original file path or template name. A separate XMP metadata stream can duplicate all of that plus editing history — and no ordinary viewer shows it.
How do I anonymize a PDF before sharing it?
Drop it above to see every metadata field it carries, then click “Strip all metadata”. That blanks the fields and removes the XMP stream. Download the cleaned copy and share that one.
Does this remove my name from the visible pages too?
No — this tool cleans the file's hidden metadata, not the page content. If your name appears in the document text itself, that's a redaction job (a proper redaction tool is coming to Sleek PDF; black-box cover-ups in other tools often leave text recoverable, so be careful out there).
Who needs this?
Anonymous CV screening, peer review, whistleblowing and journalism, legal filings, or just sending a document without advertising which employee's laptop produced it.
Is the file uploaded for cleaning?
No — uploading a document to anonymize it would be self-defeating. Everything runs in your browser; the file never leaves your device.