Document Sanitization
Remove hidden information and metadata from PDF documents.
Sanitization requires a Pro plan or higher ($19/mo).
Sanitization is permanent. Hidden content cannot be recovered after removal. Always keep a backup of the original document.
What is Sanitization?
PDFs can contain hidden information:
- Metadata (author, dates, software)
- Hidden layers
- Deleted content
- Form field data
- Comments and annotations
- Embedded files
- JavaScript
Sanitization removes this hidden content.
Hidden Content Types
Metadata
Document properties:
- Author name
- Creation date
- Modification history
- Software used
- Organization name
Document Elements
- Hidden layers
- Bookmarks
- Comments and markup
- Form field data
- Embedded files
- Attached files
Technical Data
- JavaScript
- Links and actions
- Document structure
- XMP metadata
Running Sanitization
- Open the document
- Click Security → Sanitize Document
- Review items to remove
- Select/deselect as needed
- Click Sanitize
Always examine what will be removed before running sanitization.
Sanitization Options
Remove All
Remove everything:
- Maximum security
- Removes all hidden content
- Document becomes “clean”
Custom Selection
Choose what to remove:
- ✅ Metadata
- ✅ Comments
- ❌ Bookmarks (keep for navigation)
- ✅ Form data
- ✅ Hidden layers
- ✅ Embedded files
Presets
Legal
- Removes metadata
- Removes comments
- Keeps structure
Publishing
- Removes editing metadata
- Optimizes for distribution
Maximum Security
- Removes everything possible
- Smallest possible footprint
Examining Hidden Content
Before sanitizing, examine what’s hidden:
- Click Security → Examine Document
- Review the report
- See what would be removed
- Decide what to sanitize
Report Shows
- Metadata fields and values
- Number of comments
- Hidden layers list
- Embedded files
- JavaScript presence
- Form fields
When to Sanitize
Before Sharing
- Sending externally
- Publishing online
- Legal disclosure
For Compliance
- HIPAA requirements
- Legal discovery
- Government submissions
Privacy
- Removing personal info
- Removing revision history
- Removing author details
Best Practices
- Always examine before sanitizing
- Keep the original document
- Run after redaction
- Verify with examination tool
- Document sanitization performed
Next Steps
- Redaction - Permanently remove visible sensitive content before sanitizing
- Password Protection - Add password protection after sanitization
- PDF Standards - Convert sanitized documents to archival PDF/A format
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