A small tool with one job
PDFClean removes the hidden metadata from a PDF before you share it, without sending the file anywhere — and it proves the removal by reading the saved file back.
Why it exists
PDF metadata is one of those problems that is invisible until it is embarrassing. An invoice names the freelancer's home address, a résumé lists the old employer, a draft contract carries the author's name in a field nobody sees. The file looks finished; the record underneath is not.
The obvious fix is a web converter, but the file has to be uploaded first, and the file is the thing that contains the information. Cleaning it somewhere else is a strange trade. PDFClean does the work in the browser instead, and then checks its own result.
What makes it different
- No upload. There is no server-side PDF code on this site. The file is parsed, rewritten and verified in the tab.
- Observable removal. Every field found is listed before cleaning, so you see what the file carries instead of guessing.
- Verification, not assurance. The cleaned bytes are re-opened and read again; the download appears only if the checks pass.
- Honest limits. Annotation authors, embedded attachments and signatures are outside what this version handles, and the documentation says so.
Who runs it
PDFClean is built and maintained by Pratham Jaiswal, as part of the small independent toolkit family around AccessProof. It is a one-person project, not a company with a support desk: the site is static, the tool runs on your device, and email is the whole support channel.
How it is paid for
It is not, yet. There are no accounts and no paid tier. The site runs on a static host, ads.txt is in place for future use, and no advertising code is loaded today. If that changes, the privacy page will say so before it ships.
Principles
- The file stays on the device that opened it.
- A claim about data removal should come with a check you can see.
- Limits are documented, not hidden.
- Nothing is deleted on the user's behalf without being explicit about it.