What is the difference between Creator and Producer in PDF metadata?

Creator is the application that created the original document (e.g., Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, Google Docs). Producer is the software that converted that document into a PDF (e.g., Adobe Acrobat Distiller, Microsoft Print to PDF, macOS Quartz PDFContext). If you open a Word document and print to PDF, Creator is Word and Producer is your PDF printer driver.

Is it safe to check PDF metadata for a confidential document?

Yes, when using FixMyPDF. The analysis runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. This is important because confidential documents may themselves contain sensitive metadata you do not want to expose.

How to Check PDF Metadata and File Info

Every PDF file contains metadata — structured data about the document stored separately from the visible content. This includes the author’s name, creation and modification dates, the software used to create it, page count, embedded fonts, encryption status, and permissions. Checking this metadata takes seconds and reveals information that is invisible when you simply open and read the document.

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What is PDF metadata?

PDF metadata lives in two places inside a PDF file:

DocInfo dictionary — the original metadata format from early PDF versions. Stores: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator, Producer, CreationDate, and ModDate.
XMP metadata stream — a more modern XML-based format introduced in PDF 1.4. Can contain all the DocInfo fields plus additional data like document ID, company name, copyright, and custom properties set by the creating software.

Beyond metadata, the file also contains structural information: the PDF version, page dimensions, number of pages, embedded font names, encryption type, and permission flags. This is what the Analyze PDF tool surfaces.

How to check PDF metadata step by step

Open the Analyze PDF tool

Go to fixmypdf.tech/tools/analyze.html.

Upload your PDF

Drag your file onto the drop zone or click to browse. Nothing is sent to a server.

Review the analysis

The results appear immediately — document info, page details, fonts, and security settings all in one view.

Check identity fields

Look specifically at Author, Creator, Producer, and dates if you want to know who made the document and with what software.

What the Analyze tool shows you

Field	What it tells you
Author	The person or organisation name associated with the document
Title	The document title set in the metadata (may differ from the filename)
Creator	The application that created the source document (e.g., Microsoft Word 16)
Producer	The software that generated the PDF (e.g., macOS PDF engine, Adobe Acrobat)
Creation Date	When the document was first created
Modification Date	When the document was last changed
Page count	Total number of pages
Page dimensions	Width and height of each page in points (72 points = 1 inch)
PDF version	The PDF specification version (1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 2.0)
Fonts	Names of all fonts used in the document and whether they are embedded
Encryption	Whether the PDF is encrypted and the encryption strength
Permissions	Print, copy, edit, and form-fill restrictions

Privacy risks in PDF metadata

PDF metadata can expose information you did not intend to share. Some real examples:

Author name leakage — a contract or proposal sent to a client contains the author’s full name and Windows username in the Author field, revealing internal staff names.
Revision history exposure — some PDF generators include a modification date that shows the document was edited after a stated effective date, which can be relevant in legal disputes.
Software version fingerprinting — the Creator field reveals the specific version of Word or InDesign used to create the document, which can be used to identify unpatched software in a security audit.
Company name in XMP data — enterprise PDF software often writes the organisation name to XMP metadata, which can appear on documents intended to be anonymous.
Document ID — PDFs contain a unique identifier that can link multiple versions of the same document if recipients compare files.

These fields are invisible in normal use — you have to look for them specifically, which most people never do.

How to remove metadata before sharing

If the Analyze tool surfaces information you do not want to share, there are a few approaches:

Re-export from the source — open the original Word or design file, clear the Author and metadata fields in the application, then export to PDF again. This is the most thorough method.
Print to PDF — use your operating system’s Print › Save as PDF function. This creates a fresh PDF from the visual rendering and usually drops most metadata fields.
Compress and re-encode — running the PDF through the Compress PDF tool re-saves the document with a new structure, which drops some metadata. Not all fields are removed.
Dedicated metadata remover — a tool that explicitly targets and clears the DocInfo dictionary and XMP stream is the most reliable for comprehensive metadata removal.

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Frequently asked questions

What metadata does a PDF usually contain?

Standard fields: Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, Creator (source application), Producer (PDF generator), creation date, and modification date. Some PDFs also have XMP data with company name, copyright, and document ID.

Can PDF metadata reveal who created a document?

Yes. The Author field often contains the person’s name or Windows username. The Creator field reveals the software version. This information is invisible when reading the document normally but easy to extract with an analyzer tool.

What is the difference between Creator and Producer?

Creator is the application that made the source document (e.g., Word, InDesign). Producer is the software that exported or converted it to PDF (e.g., Acrobat Distiller, macOS Quartz, Microsoft Print to PDF).

How do I remove metadata from a PDF?

Most reliably: re-export from the source with metadata fields cleared. Alternatively, print to PDF through your OS print dialog. For partial removal, running through the Compress PDF tool re-encodes the file and drops some metadata fields.

What are PDF permissions and how do they work?

Permissions control printing, copying, editing, and form-filling. They are stored in the encryption dictionary. Without an owner password, most PDF software can bypass these restrictions — they are a signal of intent, not a hard technical lock.

Is it safe to analyze a confidential document?

Yes. FixMyPDF analyzes the PDF entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. This is especially relevant here because confidential documents are exactly the ones whose metadata you want to check before sharing.

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