Scan a PDF for Hidden Personal Data
or drop files here
Find out what a PDF reveals beyond the words on its pages, from author names to photo locations, then strip the parts you choose. The audit itself happens on your machine, so the file you are worried about stays with you.
Scan it, read it, clean it.
Add the PDF
The audit starts the moment the file opens. Properties, attachments, scripts, photos and the text of each page are all inspected.
Read the report
Each finding says what was found, gives an example, rates the risk and tells you whether cleaning will deal with it.
Clean and save
Choose what to strip, and the file is rewritten from scratch without it. Save the clean copy and send that one instead of the original.
A PDF says more than its pages.
Hidden data rarely causes trouble until the wrong person opens the file. A quick audit before sending is worth it in moments like these.
Sending a CV or cover letter
A template borrowed from an old job can still list your former employer as the author, or a recruiter’s name in the editing history.
Tenders and price quotes
An incremental save can keep last week’s lower price inside the file you submit. Rebuilding the PDF leaves only the figures on the page.
Property and listing brochures
Phone photos dropped into a brochure often carry the GPS position of the house and the time they were taken. The scan reports both.
Documents from strangers
Before opening an unexpected invoice in a full reader, check it for scripts, programs it tries to launch, or buttons that post data to a web address.
Reports passed to a regulator or reporter
Reviewer names on comments and the account name in the properties can identify who prepared a document, even when the text is anonymous.
Templates you publish online
A form or guide posted on your website can carry attached source files, page thumbnails of an older draft, and private data left by the design app.
What can hide inside a PDF
The pages you see are only one part of a PDF. Around them sits a catalogue of objects that viewers rarely show: a properties record, an XML editing log, a folder for attached files, a slot for scripts, per-page thumbnails, and the raw bytes of every embedded photo with its camera data intact. Below is every place this scanner checks, how serious a finding there usually is, and what the Clean button does about it.
Cleaning always rewrites the file from the objects still in use, which is how earlier saved versions disappear even if you switch every other option off. Working with loose photos rather than a PDF? Remove Metadata strips EXIF and GPS from JPEG, PNG and WebP images directly.
| Where | What it can reveal | Risk | After cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document properties | Author, title, subject, keywords, the creating app and the PDF producer | Medium | Removed |
| XMP editing history | A log of saves, with the software used for each one | Medium | Removed |
| Attached files | Spreadsheets, drafts or images riding along without appearing on any page | High | Removed |
| Earlier saved versions | Previous states of the document, text you deleted included | High | Dropped by the rebuild |
| JavaScript and actions | Scripts on open, close or print; links that launch programs; buttons that submit data | High | Removed |
| Photo EXIF in JPEGs | GPS coordinates, camera make and model, the time a photo was taken | High with GPS | Removed, no recompression |
| Comment authors | The name and date attached to every note and highlight | Medium | Names removed, or all comments |
| Page thumbnails | Small stored previews that may show an older version of a page | Low | Removed |
| App private data | Extra data saved by editing software (PieceInfo) | Low | Removed |
| Hidden layers | Content switched off by default but still in the file | Medium | Reported only |
| Filled form fields | Typed answers that can be read out even where not shown | Medium | Reported only |
| Personal data in text | Emails, phone, card, IBAN, SSN, Aadhaar and PAN numbers on the pages | High or Medium | Reported only |
| Web links | Destinations that may include tracking parameters | Low | Kept and listed |
Scanned pages have no text layer, so personal data inside them cannot be detected; run OCR PDF first if the document is a scan. For printed details that must go, Auto-Redact PDF picks up where cleaning stops.
Questions answered.
What exactly does the scan look at?
How is this different from Remove Metadata or Edit PDF Metadata?
What does "earlier versions inside the file" mean?
Why does cleaning leave the personal data in the text?
What are my choices for comments?
Does stripping photo details lower image quality?
Are hidden layers and form answers removed?
Will the links in my document still work?
Is the PDF checked on a server?
More tools you might need.
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