PDFSanitize
PDFSanitize Pro (planned)Check a PDF FreeCheck a PDF

PDFSanitize · Check. Clean. Share.

Sanitize your PDF before you share it.

Check for metadata, comments, form data, embedded files, JavaScript and other document information you may not intend to share — then clean what you don't need.

Check My PDF Free See How It Works

Your PDF stays on your deviceNo uploadNo account

contract-final.pdf
Privacy scan
  • AuthorDetected
  • Creator & producer2 found
  • Document dates2 found
  • XMP metadataDetected
  • Comments3 found

9 items you may want to review

Illustrative example of a privacy check result — not a real document.

  • 100% browser processing

    Your PDF stays on your device.

  • No account

    Solve a one-off problem without creating a profile.

  • No cloud upload

    Sensitive documents are not sent to us for processing.

  • No subscription required

    Free for one-file tasks; Pro is planned as a one-time upgrade.

The part you don't see

A PDF can contain more than what you see on the page.

Depending on how a file was created and edited, it can carry information that never appears when you read it — and travels with it wherever you send it.

What you see

A tidy, finished document. Nothing unusual on the page.

What the file may still contain
  • Author nameOften filled in automatically from a computer account.Document properties
  • Creator softwareThe app and version that produced the file.Document properties
  • Creation / modification datesWhen the document was made and last changed.Document properties
  • CommentsReview notes that may not show when printed.Review markup
  • AnnotationsHighlights, sticky notes, drawings and stamps.Review markup
  • Form dataValues typed into fillable form fields.Embedded content
  • Embedded attachmentsOther files carried inside the PDF.Embedded content
  • Document actionsScripts or actions set to run when the file opens.Behaviour

Not every PDF contains all of these. What's there depends on the software and workflow that produced it — which is exactly why it's worth checking.

Check your PDF free

How it works

Check. Clean. Share.

Three steps between “I think this is fine” and knowing it is.

  1. Check

    Inspect the document's metadata, supported comments, annotations, form fields, attachments and JavaScript, and document characteristics such as XMP records and signatures.

  2. Clean

    Review what was found and remove the metadata, comments, annotations, form values, attachments or scripts you don't want to share. Nothing is removed without you seeing it first.

  3. Share

    Download a cleaned copy and continue your workflow. Your original file stays untouched.

Browser-only by design. PDFSanitize is built so document processing happens locally in your browser. Your PDF isn't sent to our servers to be checked or cleaned.

Free & PDFSanitize Pro

One PDF is easy. A folder full of them is not.

The free tools fully handle a single document. PDFSanitize Pro, planned for later, is for when cleaning PDFs is part of your routine and doing it one file at a time costs you an afternoon.

Free

For a document you need to fix right now

$0

  • PDF privacy check
  • View and edit PDF metadata
  • Remove metadata, with a re-check of the result
  • Remove supported PDF comments
  • Remove supported PDF annotations
  • Clear supported PDF form data
  • Remove embedded PDF attachments
  • Detect and remove supported PDF JavaScript
  • Flatten supported form fields and annotations
  • Permanently redact selected areas, with verification
  • No account or upload
  • No watermark
Check a PDF Free

Runs in your browser. Nothing to install.

Planned · not available yet

PDFSanitize Pro

Planned for people who clean PDFs regularly.

$29once

Planned one-time price

Planned features, in addition to the free tools:

  • Batch processingCheck and clean many PDFs in one pass
  • Folder workflowsPoint at a folder, not file by file
  • Saved cleaning profilese.g. “Send to client”, “Public upload”
  • Batch reportsA summary of what was found and removed
  • ZIP exportCleaned files and the report in one download
  • Lifetime accessPay once, keep it

Coming shortly

PDFSanitize Pro isn't available to buy yet. Planned as a one-time price, not a subscription.

What PDFSanitize Pro will include

The free tools process files in your browser today, and Pro is planned to work the same way. The difference is scale, not privacy.

Use cases

Made for documents you actually need to share.

If a PDF is leaving your hands, it's worth a quick look first.

  • Client documents

    Proposals and reports can carry internal review comments you never meant a client to read.

  • Job applications

    A résumé built from a template can list a different author or reveal old edit dates.

  • Academic submissions

    Blind review and anonymous grading can be undone by a name in the file's properties.

  • Public downloads

    Anyone who downloads a file from your site gets its metadata and leftover markup too.

  • Legal / administrative documents

    Before filing or sending paperwork, check for stray comments, form values and document history.

  • Research and journalism

    Check what a shared file says about who made it before it reaches anyone else.

  • Internal-to-external handoff

    Files that circulate inside a team collect notes, highlights and names along the way.

  • Freelance deliverables

    Send the finished file, not the trail of feedback and revisions behind it.

Why local processing matters

Your document should not need to visit our server to be cleaned.

Most online PDF tools start by uploading your file. PDFSanitize is designed to skip that step entirely.

Typical online PDF tool5 steps · file leaves your device
  1. Your PDF
  2. Upload
  3. Third-party server
  4. Processing
  5. Download
PDFSanitize3 steps · file stays on your device
  1. Your PDF
  2. Your browser
  3. Clean copy

  • Files remain on your device

    During supported processing, the document is handled by your browser, not our servers.

  • Less trust required

    You don't have to take a stranger's word for what happens to an uploaded file.

  • Faster one-off workflow

    No upload queue, no waiting to download the result back.

  • Fewer unnecessary transfers

    Your document doesn't make a round-trip across the internet to be cleaned.

Check a PDF Free

No account · No upload · Free for one document

PDF privacy basics

What can be hidden inside a PDF?

PDF metadata and document properties

Every PDF has room for descriptive information about itself, known as PDF metadata. Common fields include the title, author, subject and keywords, the application that created the document, the software that produced the PDF, and creation and modification dates. Many of these are filled in automatically from your computer account or the app you used, so a file can carry your name — or a colleague's — without anyone typing it. Some files also keep a separate XMP metadata block that repeats or extends the same details. You can view PDF metadata to see what a file holds, or remove metadata from a PDF before it leaves your hands.

PDF comments and annotations

PDF comments and PDF annotations are stored as separate objects layered on top of the page: sticky notes, highlights, strike-throughs, drawn shapes and review replies. Some are hidden when printed or collapsed in certain viewers, which is how review notes end up travelling with a “final” version. Checking for them, and removing comments from a PDF or removing supported annotations where needed, is often the most important step before a document goes outside your team.

Form data, attachments and actions

Fillable forms keep the values typed into each field, and you can clear PDF form fields while keeping the form. A PDF can also embed other files as attachments, which you can remove from a PDF, and include actions or scripts that run when the document is opened, which you can remove from a PDF without running them. None of these is automatically a problem, but each is worth knowing about before you share.

Cleaning, flattening and safe sharing

Cleaning removes selected information from the file. When you flatten a PDF, annotations and form fields are merged into the page so they can no longer be edited — but their visible content remains. Flattening is useful for locking a finished form; it is not a way to remove text you don't want to share, and neither is drawing a black box over it.

Good PDF privacy is mostly a habit: check the file, remove what you don't want to share, then send the clean copy.

FAQ

Questions, answered plainly.

Honest answers — including what PDFSanitize can't do.

Does PDFSanitize upload my document?

No. PDFSanitize is designed so checking and cleaning happen locally in your web browser. Your PDF is read and processed on your device and is not uploaded to our servers for processing. The website itself still loads over the internet like any other page.

What information can a PDF contain besides visible text?

Depending on how it was created and edited, a PDF can include document properties such as title, author and creator software; creation and modification dates; comments and annotations; values typed into form fields; embedded file attachments; and document actions or scripts. Many PDFs contain only some of these.

What is PDF metadata?

PDF metadata is descriptive information stored inside the file about the document itself, for example the title, author, subject, keywords, the application that created it, and when it was created or last modified. It usually appears in a viewer's document properties panel rather than on the page.

Can I remove PDF metadata for free?

Yes. The free PDF Metadata Remover removes supported metadata from one PDF at a time, creates a cleaned copy in your browser and re-checks the result, with no account and no watermark. The PDF Privacy Checker inspects supported document information; when metadata is found, it sends you to the Metadata Remover to create a cleaned copy. PDFSanitize Pro, planned for later, is intended to add batch and folder workflows; it isn't intended to lock single-document cleaning behind a payment.

What is the difference between Free and PDFSanitize Pro?

The free tools are available now for single documents: check a PDF, view or edit its metadata, or download a copy with the metadata, supported comments or supported annotations removed, or with supported form values, embedded attachments or JavaScript cleared. PDFSanitize Pro is planned for people who clean PDFs regularly and is intended to add batch processing, folder workflows, saved cleaning profiles and batch reports. It isn't available yet. Both are designed to process files in your browser.

Does PDFSanitize require an account?

No. The free single-document workflow does not require an account, a sign-up or an email address.

Is PDFSanitize Pro a subscription?

No. PDFSanitize Pro is planned as a one-time purchase of $29 with lifetime access, not a monthly subscription. It isn't available to buy yet.

Does flattening a PDF remove everything?

No. Flattening merges annotations and form fields into the page so they can no longer be edited separately, but their visible content stays in the document. It does not necessarily remove metadata, and it does not remove text that is already on the page. Treat flattening and cleaning as separate steps.

Is drawing a black box the same as secure redaction?

No. A rectangle drawn over text usually only hides it visually; the text underneath can often still be selected, copied or extracted. Secure redaction means actually removing the content from the file. PDFSanitize's Redact PDF tool does that by rebuilding the redacted pages and verifying the result; its other cleaning tools are not redaction tools, so don't rely on them to remove visible text from a page.

Will every PDF support every cleaning operation?

Not always. PDFs vary widely in how they are built. Encrypted or password-protected files, damaged files and files from unusual software can limit what can be read or changed. PDFSanitize aims to show clearly what was found and what was removed, and you should always review the cleaned copy before sharing anything sensitive.

Before you send the PDF, check what you're actually sharing.

Start with one document. No account. No upload.

Check a PDF Free See planned Pro features
  • Processed in your browser
  • No account
  • No monthly subscription