Digital files often contain metadata that can reveal hidden and sometimes sensitive information such as author names, modification history, file creation dates, software versions, and even GPS coordinates in the case of images. While these properties may seem harmless at first glance, they can present privacy and security concerns, especially when sharing files publicly or with third parties. Scrubbing or sanitizing metadata is the best way to eliminate such traces before distribution, and now it’s easier than ever with the free online metadata cleaner available at Conholdate Metadata Scrubber.

Free Online Metadata Scrubber

This online application empowers users to detect and scrub metadata from documents without installing any software. It supports a wide range of formats, including PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, and many others. Whether you are a casual user looking to clean metadata from a single file or a developer who needs programmatic control via Conholdate.Total for .NET SDK or Conholdate.Total for Java SDK, this solution offers both flexibility and power.

The process is straightforward: upload your document, inspect the metadata, and with a single click, remove all hidden data instantly. This eliminates the need for third-party utilities or complicated tools while maintaining document integrity and formatting.

Why Scrub Metadata from Your Files?

  • Ensure Privacy Before Sharing: Metadata can unintentionally expose personal or confidential details embedded in the file properties. Scrubbing it ensures your shared documents are clean and safe.

  • Comply with Legal or Organizational Policies: Many industries require redaction or removal of metadata before documents can be distributed externally. A metadata scrubber ensures compliance.

  • Prevent Unwanted Tracking: Files can contain GPS, device info, or timestamps that allow tracing the origin or modification trail. Removing metadata eliminates this vulnerability.

  • Clean Professional Appearance: Final deliverables, such as presentations or contracts, appear more polished and intentional when unnecessary metadata is removed.

Developer’s Guide: Remove Metadata Programmatically

Developers who need to integrate metadata scrubbing into their workflow can use Conholdate.Total for .NET SDK or Conholdate.Total for Java SDK. Below are the sample implementations for both C# and Java platforms.

Scrub Metadata in C#

Developers working on .NET applications can use the Conholdate.Total for .NET SDK to clean all detectable metadata properties from documents like PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. The following snippet demonstrates how simple it is to scrub metadata using C#:

/*
* Clean all the detected metadata properties from Word, Excel, 
* PowerPoint, PDF, and other documents using C#
*/
using (Metadata metadata = new Metadata("filePath/document.pdf"))
{
	var affected = metadata.Sanitize();

    // Save the output document with no metadata
	metadata.Save("filePath/output.pdf");
}

This code loads a file, sanitizes all detected metadata, and saves a new version of the document completely free of any embedded metadata. It’s ideal for automating the cleaning process in any .NET-based document management system.

Delete Metadata from Documents Using Java

For Java-based projects, the Conholdate.Total for Java SDK provides an equally effective solution. The following example illustrates how to load, sanitize, and save a file with removed metadata in Java:

/*
* Remove all the detected metadata properties from Word, Excel, 
* PowerPoint, PDF, and other documents using Java
*/
Metadata metadata = new Metadata("filePath/document.pdf");
int affected = metadata.sanitize();

// Save the output document with no metadata
metadata.save("filePath/output.pdf");

This method ensures that all known metadata elements are erased, delivering a clean output file. It’s especially useful for developers building Java applications that handle sensitive or compliance-driven content workflows.

Conclusion

Metadata often remains overlooked, yet it can pose serious privacy and compliance risks if not handled correctly. Whether you’re a business professional, a student, or a software developer, cleaning metadata from your documents is an essential step before distribution. With the powerful and easy-to-use online metadata scrubber by Conholdate, you can effortlessly remove hidden metadata from your files without installing anything. And for developers, Conholdate.Total SDKs offer seamless integration options to sanitize metadata across various document formats. Protect your information, maintain professionalism, and stay compliant with just a few clicks or lines of code.

See Also