SHARE WHAT IS VISIBLE - NOT WHAT IS HIDDEN.
Inspect and sanitize a PDF before you share it.
Check for common hidden-information categories, remove only what PDF Atelier can verify, or create a safe visual copy that rebuilds the visible pages without carrying the original interactive structures forward.
- 1. Choose
- 2. Prepare
- 3. Process
- 4. Review & export
Choose a PDFDrop a file here or browse. Files stay on this device — nothing is uploaded to run this tool.
Sanitize PDF runs locally in this browser tab. Known limits: Selected hidden objects, scripts and attachments are removed
What this tool does and does not change
- Preserved where the source file allows it: text, vectors.
- Selected hidden objects, scripts and attachments are removed
Questions about Sanitize / Safe Share PDF
- What hidden information can a PDF contain?
- Depending on the file, a PDF can contain common metadata, comments/annotations, form fields and stored values, attachments, JavaScript/actions, links, bookmarks, optional-content layers, embedded indexes, digital-signature data and other structures that are not obvious from the visible page.
- Is removing metadata enough to sanitize a PDF?
- No. Metadata is only one category. Remove PDF Metadata is intentionally narrow; Sanitize PDF inspects a broader set of supported hidden/interactive structures.
- What is Safe Visual Copy?
- Safe Visual Copy renders the visible pages and rebuilds a new PDF from those rendered results instead of carrying the original PDF object graph forward. It is intentionally destructive to interactive structures and should clearly list the losses before processing.
- Will Safe Visual Copy remove comments and attachments?
- Because the new PDF is rebuilt from visible page rendering, original comments, form fields, attachments and most document-level structures should not be carried over. PDF Atelier still needs to re-inspect the output and report what it can verify.
- Does sanitizing remove text I can see on the page?
- Not by itself. Visible sensitive text or images require Redact PDF. Sanitization targets hidden/non-visible structures; redaction targets visible content that must be permanently removed.
- Can a sanitized PDF remain searchable?
- Selective sanitization can preserve the original text when safe. Safe Visual Copy may remove it. An optional OCR step can rebuild searchability from the already sanitized visible pages, but the original hidden text layer must never be reintroduced.
- Will sanitizing invalidate an existing digital signature?
- Selective changes may invalidate signatures depending on what is modified, and Safe Visual Copy necessarily creates a new unsigned document. PDF Atelier should warn before processing any file with detected signature indicators.
- Can PDF Atelier guarantee that no hidden data remains?
- No. The product should report supported categories as Found/Not found/Could not fully inspect and avoid absolute forensic claims. The value is transparent, locally verified cleanup within a defined technical scope.
Related tasks
- Redact PDF permanently remove visible sensitive information.
- Remove PDF Metadata remove only common document properties.
- Protect PDF encrypt the sanitized copy.
- OCR PDF restore searchability after a safe visual rebuild.
