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How to Search and Display PDF Metadata in SharePoint Document Libraries
Question details
The user wants to display and search embedded PDF metadata fields (such as Author, Subject, Keywords, and Title) directly within a SharePoint document library.
- Product
- SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Managing PDF files in a SharePoint document library and attempting to utilize embedded metadata properties for organization, filtering, and searchability.
- Observed behavior
- SharePoint can search some basic metadata but fails to display all PDF fields as library columns and does not return search results for specific properties like Subject and Keywords.
Verify your SharePoint permissions and ensure you have administrative or site owner access to install third-party add-ins and configure document library columns.
Use Third-Party Extractor Applications to Map PDF Metadata
Since SharePoint does not natively map all PDF metadata fields, installing a third-party metadata extractor tool is the recommended workaround to populate custom columns.
SharePoint currently does not support extracting and displaying all PDF metadata (such as Subject and Keywords) out of the box. Furthermore, there are currently no immediate roadmap updates to add this native functionality.
To make these properties accessible and searchable, you must use an external application that reads the embedded PDF properties and maps them directly into custom SharePoint document library columns.
Navigate to the SharePoint Store or Microsoft AppSource and search for third-party applications designed to extract PDF properties into SharePoint.
Deploy your chosen application to your SharePoint site. Follow the vendor's instructions to map specific PDF properties (like 'Subject', 'Keywords', and 'Title') to the corresponding columns in your document library.
Once the third-party tool processes the files and populates the metadata into the columns, you can seamlessly filter, sort, group, and search your PDF documents using standard SharePoint library list views.
Manage and Edit PDF Documents Easily with WPS Office
While SharePoint requires third-party tools to handle complex PDF metadata online, WPS Office provides a comprehensive, local solution for managing your PDF properties before uploading them to your document library. Enjoy seamless format compatibility and powerful local PDF editing features for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't SharePoint search PDF Subject and Keywords fields natively?
SharePoint's native search crawler only maps a limited set of standard properties from PDF files out of the box. It does not automatically parse and map the internal Adobe PDF Subject and Keywords fields to its managed search properties without external tools.
Can I manually map PDF crawled properties to managed properties in SharePoint?
In some versions of SharePoint, administrators can map known crawled properties (like the basic 'Title') to managed properties in the Search Schema. However, custom or specific PDF fields like 'Keywords' often do not generate the necessary crawled properties automatically, necessitating third-party extraction tools.
Is there a native Microsoft solution planned for extracting PDF metadata?
Currently, Microsoft has not announced any roadmap features or planned updates aimed at natively extracting and displaying all custom PDF metadata fields in SharePoint document libraries.
