To change a PDF’s author or title, edit its document details and save a new copy. Attach the PDF to Metadata Editor, type the new title, author, subject or keywords, and download the edited file. It’s free and works in your browser, so the file isn’t uploaded. Adobe Acrobat Pro can do the same from its document properties. Preview on a Mac can’t edit the author in place, but its Save as PDF window can set a new one.
The four fields you can change
Every PDF can store a short set of descriptive details. They don’t appear on the pages, but people see them in the document properties, and some programs show them in place of the file name.
| Field | What it’s for | Where people see it |
|---|---|---|
| Title | The document’s proper name | Document properties, and sometimes the browser tab or a search result |
| Author | The person or organisation responsible | Document properties |
| Subject | A one-line description | Document properties |
| Keywords | Words that help with searching | Document properties and some search tools |
The Author field is usually filled in automatically with the name on the computer account that made the file. That’s why a PDF can carry a colleague’s name, an old employer or a default name like “User”. The title is often filled in the same way, with the original file name, which is how a finished report can end up called “Document1” in a browser tab.
How to change them in your browser
- Open Metadata Editor and attach your PDF, or drop it on the page.
- The four boxes fill with the file’s current title, author, subject and keywords. An empty box means that detail isn’t set.
- Type over anything you want to change. For several keywords, separate them with commas.
- To remove a detail completely, clear its box. The tool takes it out of the file rather than leaving a blank one behind.
- Click Save changes, then Download edited PDF.
The download is a new copy, named after your file with “-edited” on the end. Your original isn’t changed, so keep it until you’ve checked the new one.
What changes, and what stays the same
- Changed: the title, author, subject and keywords, exactly as you typed them.
- Kept: the pages, text, links and forms, plus the names of the programs that made the file (shown as Created with and Saved as PDF by in Verify Metadata).
- The created date stays exactly as it was.
- The modified date is set to the moment you save. Metadata Editor can’t change dates, on purpose, so the file records honestly when it was last changed.
- The XMP copy is removed. XMP is a second store of the same details, kept in a different format. Many viewers read it first, so if it stayed, they could go on showing the old author.
- Earlier saved versions aren’t carried into the new copy, because the tool writes the whole file afresh.
Two warnings can appear. If the PDF is digitally signed, any change breaks the signature, so send the signed original if the signature matters. If it’s marked as PDF/A, an archive format some organisations require, saving removes that mark.
Other ways to change a PDF’s author
In Adobe Acrobat Pro
Open the PDF and choose File > Properties, or press Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on a Mac). On the Description tab, change the Title, Author, Subject and Keywords, click OK, then save. Save As with a new file name is the safer choice: a plain Save can add the change to the end of the file and leave the old version inside. The free Acrobat Reader shows these fields but won’t let you edit them.
In Preview on a Mac
Preview’s Inspector (Tools > Show Inspector, or Cmd+I) shows the title and author but doesn’t let you edit them. Its Keywords tab lets you add and remove keywords, and that’s all.
To set a new title or author, choose File > Print, open the PDF menu at the bottom of the window and choose Save as PDF. The save window has boxes for Title, Author, Subject and Keywords. This makes a brand new PDF from a print of the old one. It gets a new created date and macOS as its PDF software, and it can lose links and fillable form fields.
In the original document
If you made the PDF yourself, you can fix the details at the source. In Microsoft Word, the title and author are under File > Info, in the properties on the right. Change them, then save as PDF again. Other programs keep similar settings, often called document properties. Windows itself has no built-in way to edit a PDF’s details once it’s made.
Why the old author can linger
Changing the Author field doesn’t always take the old name out of the file. It can survive in four places.
- The XMP copy. Some programs update the main details and leave the XMP copy alone. Viewers that read XMP first keep showing the old name.
- Earlier saved versions. Many programs save by adding changes to the end of the file. The version with the old author stays inside, below the new one, and the right tools can read it.
- Comments. Each comment or highlight records the name of the person who made it. Metadata Editor doesn’t change these.
- Attachments and images. A file attached inside the PDF, or a photo on a page, can hold its own details.
Metadata Editor deals with the first two. For the rest, or if you’d rather strip the details than change them, read How to remove metadata from a PDF, which covers a full clean with Metadata Remover.
Check the result
Open the edited copy in Verify Metadata, or in your browser’s document properties. The new title and author should show, Verify Metadata should find no XMP data, and there should be one saved version. For other ways to look, see How to check a PDF’s metadata.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the author of a PDF without Acrobat?
Use a free metadata editor. Metadata Editor runs in your browser: attach the PDF, type the new name in the Author box, save and download the copy. On a Mac, Preview’s Save as PDF window can also set an author, though it makes a new file from a print.
Why does my PDF still show the old author?
The viewer is probably reading the XMP copy, which wasn’t updated, or the change was saved on top of an earlier version. Saving a fresh copy with a tool that removes or updates the XMP copy fixes it. Comments keep their own names, so check those too.
Can I change the created or modified date of a PDF?
Not with PDF Check. Metadata Editor leaves the created date alone and sets the modified date to the real time of your edit. The dates record when a file was made and changed, and the tools here keep them truthful.
Does changing the title rename the file?
No. The title is stored inside the file, and the file name is separate. Rename the file the usual way, in File Explorer or Finder.
