Sanitize a PDF
Strip embedded JavaScript, attached files, metadata and annotations from a PDF so it is safer to open and share. Free and private in your browser.
- Files never leave your device
- Free, no sign-up
- No watermark
About Sanitize PDF
PDFs can carry more than pages: embedded JavaScript, hidden file attachments, document metadata and annotations. Before you open a file from an unknown sender or publish one of your own, sanitising removes those entries completely, so the scripts and attachment data actually leave the file rather than just being hidden. Page content is left untouched, so the document looks exactly the same. Everything happens in your browser.
How to use Sanitize PDF
- 1
Drop the PDF you want to clean.
- 2
Click Sanitize.
- 3
Review the summary of what was removed.
- 4
Download the cleaned PDF.
Why use this tool
- Removes embedded JavaScript and actions.
- Deletes attached files, not just the links to them.
- Clears document metadata and annotations.
- Leaves page content visually identical.
- Runs locally, so suspicious files are never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
PDF supports scripts for forms and interactivity, which can also be abused. Removing them makes a file safer to open and share.
No. Only non-visible entries are removed; page content stays exactly as it was.
It removes the common places where active content hides in a PDF, but it is not a replacement for antivirus software.
Annotations, which include interactive fields, are removed. Use Fill PDF Form before sanitising if you need to complete a form.
No. The file is cleaned in your browser.
Yes. There is no account, no watermark and no usage limit. The tool runs in your own browser, so there is no server cost to charge you for.
Yes. It runs in any modern browser on Android and iOS as well as on Windows, macOS and Linux, with nothing to install.
It is good practice. Removing metadata and scripts avoids leaking internal names and keeps downloads clean for your visitors.
Related tools
All PDF tools →- Edit PDF MetadataView and edit a PDF’s title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer, or clear them all at once.
- Protect PDFAdd a password to a PDF and encrypt it so only people with the password can open it.
- Flatten PDFFlatten PDF form fields, signatures and annotations into the page so they cannot be edited again.
- Merge PDFCombine multiple PDF files into one document in seconds.
- Split PDFSplit a PDF into single pages, custom page ranges, every N pages or files under a size limit.
- Compress PDFReduce PDF file size by re-encoding page images at the quality you choose, or strip metadata losslessly.