How to Inspect and Remove Document Metadata Before Sharing
A guide to identifying hidden document properties, author tags, and GPS coordinates before releasing files publicly.
Sanitizing Hidden Document Properties
Every time you create or export a file, software applications embed hidden metadata into the container header: original author names, computer usernames, internal file paths, and exact editing timestamps.
FileBuddy’s Remove PDF Metadata tool strips hidden property dictionaries while leaving the visible text, formatting, and vector graphics completely untouched.
EXIF Metadata Stripping in Photos
For JPEG and PNG photos captured on mobile devices, GPS coordinates and camera serial numbers are embedded in EXIF headers. FileBuddy scrubs these tags locally in browser memory before you share images online.
Pre-Publication Privacy Verification
Before publishing reports or releasing case studies to the public, perform a final pre-publication sanity check:
1. Inspect with PDF Info: Use FileBuddy’s PDF Info tool to confirm that author names, producer tags, and creation software strings are stripped.
2. Inspect Images with File Inspector: Confirm that image EXIF metadata contains zero location or personal hardware identifiers.
3. Archive Safely: Store sanitized documents for distribution knowing your private system metadata is removed.