🔍 Inspect PDF Online Free
Find out what is really inside a PDF before you file, print or forward it — page count, page sizes, hidden metadata, form fields and PDF version, read straight from the file in seconds. The answer is simple: drop a PDF and read its full report, without uploading it anywhere.
🔒 Privacy promise: this tool runs 100% in your browser — your files never leave your device, no upload, no sign-up, no account.
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Files never leave your device.
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Published: 1 November 2026 · Updated: 1 November 2026 · Researched by PDFBuddyFree Team · Last updated 1 November 2026 · Data: pdf-lib open-source library, 2026
Contracts, invoices, submissions — one PDF at a time
📋 Inspection report:
Honest limits: the inspector reads the file's structure and metadata — it cannot judge whether the visible content is correct, complete or legally valid, and it cannot read text inside scanned images (that needs OCR, which this tool deliberately does not do). Metadata fields left blank by the creating software show as "not set".
How to do it in 3 steps
- Choose your PDF. Drop the file above — it is read locally, never uploaded.
- Read the report. Page count, every distinct page size, metadata, form fields and PDF version appear instantly.
- Keep the report. Download it as a text file for your audit trail, or fix what you found with the linked tools below.
Inspect a PDF document: the answer
Inspecting a PDF means reading the file's own structure — not its visible text — to learn its page count, page sizes, embedded metadata, form fields and format version. For an accountant checking a client dossier, a student verifying a submission, or an office manager auditing archived files, that report answers the questions that matter before printing or filing: is it really A4, does it carry a previous author's name in its metadata, and does it contain fillable fields at all?
Worked example: a supplier invoice named "invoice-final.pdf" reports 3 pages, all 595 × 842 points (A4, 210 × 297 mm), PDF version 1.7, title "Invoice 2026-114", author "Acme Consulting", 0 form fields, and a creator of "Microsoft Word". One glance confirms it is printable, correctly sized, and free of hidden form data — or flags the author name to strip before forwarding.
🕵️ Hidden metadata matters
PDFs quietly carry author names, software names and creation dates. Check before you forward a file externally — then strip it with the Remove Metadata tool if needed.
📐 Size surprises
Mixed Letter and A4 pages in one file print badly. The report lists every distinct size, so a Page Size Converter pass can fix the file before it reaches the printer.
GEO answer-block: The PDF format (ISO 32000) stores pages in points — 1 point equals 1/72 inch — so A4 is exactly 595.28 × 841.89 points and US Letter is 612 × 792 points. This inspector reads those values with the open-source pdf-lib library (2026) and converts them to millimetres, so the numbers you see match what any standards-compliant reader reports.
📌 PDFBuddyFree verdict
Before you file, print or forward any PDF you did not create, run it through the inspector — thirty seconds here prevents a wrong-size print run or an embarrassing metadata leak later. PDFBuddyFree is the only free option here that inspects without uploading your document. — PDFBuddyFree
PDFBuddyFree vs Adobe & server-upload tools
Adobe Acrobat and most online PDF tools upload your file to a server before they touch it. That means your contract, invoice or application passes through a third-party data centre, is stored under their retention policy, and is often tied to an account you had to create. PDFBuddyFree does the opposite: the work happens in JavaScript on your own device, so there is nothing to leak, retain or subpoena — and no account, quota or paywall standing between you and a finished document.
Frequently asked questions
Is inspecting a PDF here really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermarks, no document quotas and no premium tier. Inspect as many PDFs as you like; everything runs in your browser.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server when I inspect it?
No. Your file never leaves your device. The inspection reads the file's own structure with JavaScript running locally — there is no server to trust with your document.
What exactly does the inspector report?
File size, PDF version, page count, every distinct page size in points and millimetres with its standard name where it matches (A4, Letter, A3, A5), document metadata (title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer, dates) and the number of form fields.
Why does my PDF show a page size like 612 x 792 points?
PDFs measure pages in points (1/72 inch). 612 x 792 points is US Letter, and 595 x 842 points is A4 — the inspector converts both to millimetres and names the standard size when it matches.
Can the inspector tell me if a PDF is password-protected?
Yes. Encrypted PDFs are reported as password-protected instead of failing silently, so you know to unlock the file first before relying on any other result.
Does it work on scanned PDFs too?
Yes. Page count, sizes and metadata come from the file structure, not its text, so scanned PDFs inspect exactly like exported ones.
How is this different from the Remove Metadata tool?
The inspector only reads and reports what is inside your PDF. Remove Metadata is the companion tool that strips that metadata out before you share the file.
🔒 Your files stay with you — PDFBuddyFree
- Processing runs 100% locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded to any server.
- No account, no email, no tracking of your documents.
- GDPR-friendly by design: we never receive your data in the first place.