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Local metadata removal and upload-based tools

Local metadata removal and upload-based tools?

A remover that runs in the browser never has to send the file, and a remover whose own page says you upload the PDF to its servers is a different trade: their page can promise deletion after an hour, and this site does not re-test that promise.

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A remover that runs in the browser never has to send the file, and a remover whose own page says you upload the PDF to its servers is a different trade: their page can promise deletion after an hour, and this site does not re-test that promise.

Last checked 2026-10-22

What their page names

PDF24 lists examples of what the app removes: author and creator information, creation and modification dates, software or version information, keywords, titles, or comments. The how-it-works answer says you upload the PDF, the web app analyzes it, and you download the cleaned file. They also offer PDF24 Creator as desktop software. This comparison is about the web page that describes the upload.

Read again on 29 October 2026

PDF24’s remove-metadata page still said: “You upload your PDF file, the web app analyzes the file, and automatically removes all metadata.” It also said “Metadata is removed on special PDF24 servers,” “Servers are located in Germany,” and “Files are automatically deleted from the PDF24 server after one hour.” This session did not upload a file there.

Three other homepages described browser-local cleaning that day. MetaRase said “100% browser-side” and “No server upload,” and that the image does not need to reach a processing server. DropMeta said “files never leave your browser” and listed JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP, GIF, BMP, PDF, MP4/MOV, DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX. Its page also said that on JPEG a normal strip does not recompress pixels. exif.me said processing is “entirely in your browser” and that “Nothing is uploaded.” The exif.me FAQ said “Processing is 100% local, in your browser. Your photos never touch a server.” This session did not upload a file to those sites and did not re-test their output.

What stays on this site

The PDF metadata remover clears Info fields in the browser and leaves XMP. The Info and XMP remover also deletes the catalog Metadata stream on files it can rewrite, then reads the result. Neither one sends the PDF. Neither one claims to have checked PDF24’s servers.

An upload tool can be convenient and can still be the wrong tool when the document is a contract, a medical PDF, or anything you do not want on someone else’s disk, even for an hour. A local tool can be the wrong tool when you need a format it does not parse. Read the limit on the page before you trust the download.

A JPEG read, then two local strips, 31 October 2026

On 31 October 2026 Pillow 10.2.0 wrote a 320×240 JPEG at quality 90. ExifTool 12.76 wrote GPS 35 deg 0' 0.00" N, 135 deg 0' 0.00" E, Make CPKTrend, Model Fixture1031, Artist CPKTrend31, ExposureTime 1/125, FNumber 2.8, ISO 200, and DateTimeOriginal 2026:10:31 09:00:00. The file was 20348 bytes. The coordinates are a fixture. The homepage button was not clicked.

exiftool -all= wrote 19896 bytes, 452 bytes smaller. mat2 0.13.4 was run without --inplace and wrote 12196 bytes, 8152 bytes smaller. inspectImageBytes reported status no_metadata on both stripped files and kept width and height. The mat2 copy still listed JFIFVersion 1.01, ResolutionUnit None, XResolution 1, YResolution 1. The file was not uploaded. The record is docs/evidence/runs/2026-10-31-exif-trends.json.

The EXIF remover opens JPEG, PNG, and WebP in the browser and does not open HEIC. JPEG and WebP on the homepage cleaner are canvas re-encodes at quality 0.95. That canvas path is the 29 October 2026 measurement: 43765 bytes became 44326. The 12196-byte file is the mat2 rewrite from this run.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-22.

Questions

What does PDF24 say about the file?

The remove-PDF-metadata page says metadata is removed on special PDF24 servers, that you upload your PDF file, that transfer is SSL secured, that servers are located in Germany, and that files are automatically deleted from the PDF24 server after one hour.

Did this site confirm that deletion?

No. We did not upload a file to PDF24. The sentences above are from their page. A one-hour deletion promise is their statement, not a measurement from this session.

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