# PDF Clean (PDF清理工具) Remove metadata, annotations, bookmarks, and form fields from PDF files > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/pdf-clean - **Category:** PDF Tools - **Keywords:** pdf, clean, sanitize, metadata, remove, privacy, security, annotation, bookmark, form, 清理, 隐私 ## Overview Clean PDF files by removing sensitive or unnecessary information. **Cleaning Options:** - **Metadata**: Remove document title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer, and dates - **Annotations**: Remove all comments, highlights, and other annotations from pages - **Bookmarks**: Remove document outline/bookmarks and named destinations - **Form Fields**: Remove interactive form fields and AcroForm data **Privacy & Security:** This tool helps sanitize PDFs by removing potentially sensitive metadata and tracking information. Perfect for document distribution when you want to remove author information, comments, or form data. **What gets cleaned:** - Document metadata (author, title, creation dates) - XML metadata (XMP) - Page annotations (comments, highlights, stamps) - Document bookmarks/outline - Form fields and AcroForm structure ## Inputs - **Source PDF File** (file): Upload PDF to clean - **Remove Metadata** (checkbox): Remove title, author, creation dates, and other document properties - **Remove Annotations** (checkbox): Remove comments, highlights, and other page annotations - **Remove Bookmarks** (checkbox): Remove document outline, bookmarks, and named destinations - **Remove Form Fields** (checkbox): Remove interactive form fields and AcroForm structure ## When to use - When preparing a legal or business document for public distribution and you need to strip out author names, creation dates, and other hidden metadata. - When sharing a reviewed PDF draft but wanting to remove all internal comments, highlights, and annotations. - When flattening interactive PDF forms to prevent further editing of form fields and AcroForm data. ## How it works - Upload the PDF document you want to sanitize. - Select the elements you want to remove, such as metadata, annotations, bookmarks, or form fields. - Process the file to strip the selected data and download your cleaned, privacy-safe PDF. ## Use cases - Sanitizing legal contracts to remove draft comments and author metadata before final signing. - Cleaning educational materials by removing personal highlights and bookmarks before sharing with students. - Preparing public reports by stripping out internal metadata and interactive form structures. ## Frequently asked questions ### What metadata is removed when I select 'Remove Metadata'? It strips the document title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer, creation/modification dates, and XML metadata (XMP). ### Does removing annotations delete my highlights and comments? Yes, it removes all user-added comments, text highlights, stamps, and other page annotations. ### What happens to interactive form fields when cleaned? The interactive form fields and AcroForm structure are removed, preventing users from filling out or modifying form data. ### Will removing bookmarks affect the actual pages of my PDF? No, it only removes the document outline, bookmarks, and named destinations, leaving the page content intact. ### Is my original PDF file modified? 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