Sanitize PDF Metadata and Hidden Data
Perform best-effort structural PDF cleanup for selected metadata, actions, attachments, links, forms and annotations. Review the output before sharing.
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PDF security
Choose the protection that matches the document
Security operations can add or remove access controls, sanitize data or flatten interactive content. Confirm that the result behaves as intended before sending it to another person or system.
Input
Output
Batch
1 file per run
1 file per run. Only use one run when files share the same operation.
Move into a related operation instead of re-finding the tool.
Download a destination-ready result and verify it before sharing.
Configured runtime limit applies.
Natural next steps
Continue with a related tool using the same file workflow.
Process one source at a time
Review the result before sharing
Reducing unnecessary document information before sharing
Sanitized PDF
Sanitization is not the same as redaction, encryption or guaranteed anonymity.
Privacy workflow
Clean unnecessary document information before sharing
Sanitization is about reducing information that does not need to travel with a document. It is different from redaction, which hides visible sensitive content, and different from encryption, which controls access to the file.
- External document handoffs
- Public or customer-facing PDFs
- Removing unnecessary document metadata and hidden information
- Visible sensitive content still needs redaction
- Metadata and embedded objects
- Links, attachments and other features required by the recipient
Think in layers: sanitize unnecessary information, redact content that must disappear, then encrypt when access needs to be restricted.
Protect the cleaned documentSmart workflows
Finish the job, not just the file
Use the existing tool graph to continue into useful next steps. Bulk and output-packaging capabilities are surfaced automatically where the underlying tool supports them.
Sanitize → review → share
Remove unnecessary document information before external sharing while keeping the distinction between sanitization, redaction and encryption clear.
- Sanitize PdfWorkflow-ready
Best for externally shared business documents.
Sanitize → protect → deliver
Clean unnecessary document information and add access protection when the workflow requires it.
- Sanitize Pdf
- Encrypt PdfWorkflow-ready
Best for controlled document handoffs.
About This Tool
Sanitize PDF performs best-effort structural cleanup of the cleanup classes you select, including supported metadata, JavaScript/action entries, embedded-file references, links, forms and annotations.
This is not a malware scanner or forensic proof that every active or hidden construct has been removed. PDF structures vary, and important or hostile content can exist outside the structures this browser-side cleanup recognizes. Requested cleanup steps fail closed when MAXScanner cannot safely rewrite them.
How to Use
Upload an unencrypted PDF
Protected PDFs are rejected; decrypt an authorized working copy before sanitizing.
Choose cleanup classes
Select the metadata, actions, attachments, links, forms or annotations you intend to clean.
Create the sanitized copy
MAXScanner rewrites supported structures and stops instead of reporting success when a requested cleanup step fails.
Verify before sharing
For high-risk files, inspect the result with dedicated security or forensic tooling before treating it as safe.
Use Cases
Client delivery
Clean internal document information before sending a report or proposal outside the organization.
Public publishing
Reduce unnecessary metadata before placing documents on a public website.
Privacy workflows
Add a metadata-cleaning step before distributing sensitive business documents.
Archive migration
Standardize document metadata before moving a collection into a new system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sanitize PDF guarantee a file is malware-free?+
No. It performs structural cleanup of supported PDF constructs; it is not a malware scanner or a proof that every possible active-content mechanism is absent.
What happens if a requested cleanup cannot be completed?+
The operation fails instead of returning a PDF labelled as successfully sanitized.
Can I sanitize an encrypted PDF?+
No. Encrypted PDFs are rejected before mutation. Decrypt an authorized working copy first.