How to batch change multiple PDF authors and keywords? Complete workflow for PDF metadata batch processing

When the authors, titles, subjects, and keywords of multiple PDFs need to be modified uniformly, setting them one by one manually is inefficient. This article focuses on the batch processing workflow for PDF metadata and introduces how to import PDFs, select fields to modify, enter unified attributes, and output new files in HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . It also explains the differences before and after processing and usage precautions, helping users quickly standardize PDF document properties.

If you have a batch of PDF files and need to unify the author to a certain name or company name, unify the keywords to the project year, and complete the title and subject, the most intuitive method is to open the document properties one by one with a PDF reader. However, this method is only suitable for a small number of files. Once the number of files increases, repeated clicking, repeated input, and repeated saving will be very inefficient and prone to omissions.

The significance of PDF metadata batch processing lies in handing over these repetitive actions to office software. This article uses HeSoft Doc Batch Tool as an example to demonstrate how to batch modify metadata such as author, title, subject, and keywords in many PDF files. The entire process is suitable for scenarios such as enterprise document archiving, course material organization, e-book information completion, and unifying properties after converting Word/docx/doc to PDF.

Applicable scenarios: when multiple PDF authors, titles, and keywords need to be unified

PDF metadata usually includes information such as title, author, subject, keywords, creation date, application, and producer. This article focuses on the four most common types of fields: title, author, subject, and keywords. They are used frequently in document retrieval and material management.

For example, a department has 100 PDF training materials and wants the author to be unified as Training Center; a course has multiple PDF handouts and wants the subject to be unified as English Learning; a project material wants the keywords to uniformly include 2026 or the project number. These requirements are not about modifying the body text, but about modifying the PDF document properties. If handled manually, it is not only slow, but also difficult to ensure that every file is filled in completely consistently.

The advantage of using batch processing software is that you can import multiple PDFs at once, set metadata once, and output results uniformly. For office users who often handle documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs, this kind of batch processing capability can significantly reduce repetitive work.

Effect preview: before processing, the PDF properties have no valid metadata

Let's first look at the state before processing. Open the PDF document properties window, and you can see that the title, author, subject, and keywords are all empty. Although the file name is 2.pdf and the body content exists, the document properties do not provide useful descriptive information.

This situation is very common in converted files. For example, when generating PDFs from Word documents, docx documents, web pages, or other tools, the metadata may not have been written correctly; or the properties of the old document may have been retained. If there are many files, later management will encounter the problem of "being able to see the file, but not knowing whether the file properties are standardized."

Effect preview: after processing, the author, title, subject, and keywords have been updated

After batch processing, check the PDF document properties again, and the area marked in the red box already shows the new metadata. The title is Title for 2026, the author is Jack, the subject is How to learn English, and the keywords are 2026.

This kind of effect is very helpful for database uploads, electronic file archiving, and team sharing. Users do not need to modify each PDF one by one. As long as the rules are consistent, the property updates can be completed uniformly.

Operation steps: complete process of PDF metadata batch processing

Step 1: Open the PDF tools category

After launching HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , select "PDF Tools" in the left navigation bar. The software is positioned for batch processing of office files, and the interface displays different tools by function category. For the goal of this article, you need to find "34. Modify PDF Metadata".

As shown in the screenshot, the "Modify PDF Metadata" card is selected, and the function description points to batch modification of data such as title, author, subject, and keywords in PDF files. This step is very critical, because there is also a function such as "Delete Metadata in PDF" nearby. If your goal is to clear the properties, you should use the delete function; if your goal is to write new author, title, subject, and keywords, you should enter "Modify PDF Metadata".

Step 2: Add or import a PDF folder

After entering the function, the page displays the current task name "Modify PDF Metadata" and shows the processing flow with a step bar. The first step is "Select the records to be processed". The top buttons include "Add Files", "Import Files from Folder", "Clear", and "More".

If the PDF files are scattered, you can select them via "Add Files"; if they are already uniformly placed in a folder, using "Import Files from Folder" will be more convenient. After importing, the table will list information such as serial number, name, path, extension, creation time, and modification time. In the example, 4 PDF files have already been added, namely 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf.

The expected result of this step is that all PDFs whose metadata needs to be modified appear in the list, and there are no irrelevant files. Checking the file list before batch processing is very important. It is recommended to focus on verifying the file paths and extensions. For enterprise documents, it is best to first copy the files to be processed into a temporary directory before performing batch operations, so as to facilitate managing the output results.

Step 3: Fill in unified metadata in the processing options

After confirming the file list, click "Next" at the bottom to enter "Set Processing Options". As shown in the screenshot, the left side of the page lists the modifiable metadata fields, each with a switch in front. In the example, the four fields of title, author, subject, and keywords are enabled, and content has been filled in the input boxes.

The settings in this example are as follows: the title is filled with Title for 2026, the author with Jack, the subject with How to learn English, and the keywords with 2026. After enabling these switches, the software will apply this content to the PDF files imported in the previous step.

Here is a practical tip: do not turn on all available fields. Only enable the fields that actually need to be modified this time. For example, if you only want to batch modify the PDF author and keywords, then enable only "Author" and "Keywords"; keep the title and subject off, and they will not be overwritten. This can take into account both batch processing efficiency and file property safety.

When filling in keywords, you should consider future retrieval habits. For example, year, project number, course name, department name, product model, and so on can all be used as keywords. For PDFs that need to be searched in a document system, accurate keywords are more valuable than a large number of irrelevant words.

Step 4: Select the output location and execute processing

After completing the settings, continue to click "Next", and the process will enter "Set Save Location". This step is used to specify where the processed PDFs should be saved. Although the screenshot does not show the specific details of the save location page, the step bar already clearly indicates that it is part of the processing flow.

It is recommended to save the output files to a new folder, such as output, processed, metadata-updated, or another directory, rather than directly replacing the original files. This has two benefits: first, the original files are retained for easy comparison; second, if the metadata is filled in incorrectly, you can reset it and process again.

After completing the save location settings, enter "Start Processing". The software will automatically write metadata to the PDFs in the list. After processing is complete, open the PDFs in the output folder and view the results in the document properties window. If the displayed title, author, subject, and keywords are consistent with the settings, it means the batch processing was successful.

Common questions or precautions

1. After batch modifying the PDF author, will the file name change?

No. The author is a field in the PDF document properties, and the file name is the file name in the operating system. Modifying the author will not automatically rename the PDF. If you need to batch rename files, you should use file name related tools.

2. Will modifying the title affect the title text on the PDF page?

No. The title in PDF metadata belongs to the document properties and is not equivalent to the title text on the first page of the body. This article deals with property information, not page content editing.

3. Can different titles be set for different PDFs?

Judging from the process shown in the current screenshots, this example uniformly applies the same group of fields to multiple PDFs in the imported list, which is suitable for batch unified settings. If each PDF needs to be written with a different title, you should first confirm whether the software provides corresponding differentiation rules or batch processing solutions; without clear interface evidence, it is not recommended to assume that it supports per-file configuration.

4. Why is it recommended to make a backup before processing?

The advantage of batch tools is that multiple files are processed at once, but if the input content is incorrect, it may also affect multiple output files at once. Using a new folder for output or retaining the original files can make the operation safer.

5. What should be done if the PDF has a password or permission restrictions?

If the PDF is encrypted or restricted from modification, metadata writing may be affected. When processing fails, it is recommended to first check the file permissions, password status, and whether the file is damaged, and then try again.

Summary: change the maintenance of multiple PDF properties from manual to batch modification

Batch modification of multiple PDF authors and keywords is essentially a typical office automation scenario: the rules are clear, the number of files is large, and manual operations are repetitive. HeSoft Doc Batch Tool makes the tedious maintenance of PDF document properties simple and controllable through the process of "import files - set fields - select save location - start processing".

If you are processing a large number of PDFs, you may first check the document properties of one of the files to confirm the fields that need to be modified, and then follow the steps in this article to batch set the title, author, subject, and keywords. This can not only improve the standardization of materials, but also save the time of opening each file one by one to modify properties.