ExifTool Forum

ExifTool => Newbies => Topic started by: PDFHelp1 on March 03, 2021, 03:33:00 PM

Title: Tool not working? Need help with removing metadata on PDFs
Post by: PDFHelp1 on March 03, 2021, 03:33:00 PM
Hello, so I renamed the tool to exiftool(-xmptoolkit= -P -overwrite_original -k).exe and when i check the metadata  on websites, the original data is still there.  Using windows if that helps.  Also, I'm using an older version, 11.3.5.0 could that be the culprit?  Thanks in advance
Title: Re: Tool not working? Need help with removing metadata on PDFs
Post by: Phil Harvey on March 03, 2021, 03:37:18 PM
Try running exiftool(-xmptoolkit -k).exe on the file before and after to see what you get.

The older version should work fine.

- Phil
Title: Re: Tool not working? Need help with removing metadata on PDFs
Post by: Phil Harvey on March 03, 2021, 03:40:32 PM
Also, I should note that ExifTool doesn't actually remove anything from PDF files.  It just adds a new dictionary with the updated or deleted metadata to replace the existing one.

- Phil
Title: Re: Tool not working? Need help with removing metadata on PDFs
Post by: PDFHelp1 on March 03, 2021, 03:46:41 PM
Quote from: Phil Harvey on March 03, 2021, 03:37:18 PM
Try running exiftool(-xmptoolkit -k).exe on the file before and after to see what you get.

The older version should work fine.

- Phil

Still not working.  Strange.  That black CMD looking screen (sorry if wrong terminology) opens up, and it says press return after dragging the PDF into it like I would expect, but the PDF data remains unchanged
Title: Re: Tool not working? Need help with removing metadata on PDFs
Post by: Phil Harvey on March 03, 2021, 04:00:28 PM
The command I gave should just show the XMPToolkit.  If the window remained black, then there was no XMPToolkit tag to remove.

- Phil
Title: Re: Tool not working? Need help with removing metadata on PDFs
Post by: PDFHelp1 on March 03, 2021, 04:10:02 PM
Quote from: Phil Harvey on March 03, 2021, 04:00:28 PM
The command I gave should just show the XMPToolkit.  If the window remained black, then there was no XMPToolkit tag to remove.

- Phil

In the past, I believe i've used that line to remove metadata to erase/rewrite/hide the creator tool and producer. I edited the PDF online and the metadata shows what website i edited it on, etc.  That's what I want gone.  I thought I was doing it right, but I guess not.  It's been a while.  What mistake am I making?

Edit: nvm that code i believe is to set the time to date of creation.  What line would i use to "erase"/rewrite/hide the metadata?  Thanks
Title: Re: Tool not working? Need help with removing metadata on PDFs
Post by: Phil Harvey on March 03, 2021, 08:42:25 PM
Your command only deletes the XMPToolkit tag.  To delete everything, use exiftool(-k -all=).exe or specify whatever specific tags you want removed instead of -all.  To see all available tags in the file, use exiftool(-k -s).exe

But removing tags with ExifTool is just the first step for a PDF file.  Read point 2 here (https://exiftool.org/TagNames/PDF.html) for more information.

- Phil