How to find out when a PDF was created.
Access PDF metadata to find out the date and time a document was made.
A PDF stores all kinds of information about the document itself, also known as metadata. Metadata includes information such as who authored the document, file size, and more. If you want to know how to find out when a PDF was created, all you need to do is use the tips below to access the document’s metadata.
How to find out when a PDF was created
To find out when a PDF was created, you’ll need to locate the document’s properties with these steps:
- Open the PDF in Acrobat
- Choose File
- Select Properties
- Click the Description tab
- Find the creation date and time near the title and author
If you don’t have Acrobat, you can try to access PDF details from your desktop. Right-click the PDF and check for an option to get more information, display metadata, or view properties.
While your computer may be able to display basic information about your document, the editing tools it offers are likely more limited. For all the tools you need in one place to adjust your document to perfection, Adobe Acrobat is your best resource.
Acrobat was designed to enable ease and efficiency in all your document adjustments. Editing, sharing, and collaborating across teams has never been easier — Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat online services can be accessed from wherever you are on whatever device you choose to use.
Ask the PDF document author.
If you can’t find the creation date and time, or if the field is blank, there’s a chance the PDF’s author removed all metadata from the document. Alternatively, if a PDF’s creation date seems off, keep in mind that authors can edit metadata and choose any date they want.
If you happen to know the PDF’s author, try to contact them and ask when it was created to get a definitive answer.
How to edit PDF document properties.
Since PDFs are frequently used for business purposes, you may want to edit certain document properties such as the date it was created. You can change the created date on a PDF using the Remove Properties tool.
- Right-click on your PDF and choose Properties.
- Open the Details tab and select the Remove Properties and Personal Information link.
- Choose the option for “Create a copy with all possible properties removed” and select OK. An identical PDF will now be in the containing folder.
- Right-click the identical PDF and choose Properties. In the Details tab you will see your old “Date created” information is now changed to the current time and date.
When using Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat online services you not only have access to document metadata but also to all the tools you need to make your important documents presentation worthy. More than five million organizations around the world rely on Acrobat for PDF editing and creation purposes.
Acrobat helps bring ease and efficiency to your workplace wherever you are — whether that is at home, in the office, or elsewhere. Your work is constantly evolving and Adobe Acrobat evolves with it as tools and features are constantly changing to meet current demand.
Discover what more you can do with Acrobat to compress files, find, set up, extract pages from PDF files, rotate PDFs, and edit PDF properties.