Fix Quotation Marks Added to PDF Author Metadata in Adobe Acrobat
Question details
The user wants to know why quotation marks are automatically wrapping the text entered in the Author field of their PDF Document Properties.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Saving a PDF document after editing the Author field in Document Properties.
- Observed behavior
- Quotation marks are automatically added around the text entered in the Author metadata field after the PDF is saved.
Ensure your PDF document is not restricted by security permissions, as you need sufficient editing rights to modify the document's metadata and properties.
Remove Commas from the Author Field
Adobe Acrobat automatically adds quotation marks if it detects a comma, as it treats the comma as a list delimiter for multiple authors.
When a comma is used in the Author field (such as 'Lastname, Firstname'), Acrobat interprets it as a separator for multiple authors. To prevent the software from splitting the name incorrectly, it automatically wraps the entire entry in quotation marks during the save process.
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat, click on the 'File' menu in the top left corner, and select 'Properties'.
In the Document Properties window, navigate to the 'Description' tab where the primary metadata fields are located.
Find the 'Author' field and remove any commas from the text. For example, change 'Smith, John' to 'John Smith'.
Click the 'OK' button to close the properties window, then save the PDF document (Ctrl+S or Cmd+S) to apply the updated metadata without generating quotation marks.
Check for Script Interferences
If no commas are present in the Author field, custom scripts or third-party plugins might be formatting the metadata automatically.
Edit PDF Metadata Easily with WPS Office
Avoid frustrating formatting quirks by using WPS Office to edit your PDF document properties. WPS PDF offers a straightforward way to manage document metadata securely and easily without unexpected character additions.
- 1. Open the PDF File: Launch WPS Office and open your target PDF document using the WPS PDF tool.
- 2. Access Document Properties: Click on the 'Menu' button in the top left corner and select 'Document Properties' from the dropdown list.
- 3. Edit the Author Metadata: Under the 'Description' tab, click on the 'Author' text box and enter the desired author name exactly as you want it to appear.
- 4. Confirm Changes: Click 'OK' to close the Document Properties dialog box.
- 5. Save the PDF: Click the 'Save' icon or press Ctrl+S to save your document with the updated, accurate metadata.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Adobe Acrobat use quotation marks for PDF authors?
Acrobat uses quotation marks to delimit text when a comma is detected. It interprets the comma as a separator for a list of multiple authors, so it wraps the specific name in quotes to keep the string together as a single entity.
Can I list multiple authors in a PDF without getting quotation marks?
Yes. If you avoid using commas and instead use other separators like semicolons or simply list the names with the word 'and' (e.g., 'John Smith and Jane Doe'), Acrobat will not automatically add quotation marks.
How do I view the metadata of a PDF?
In most PDF readers, including Adobe Acrobat and WPS Office, you can view metadata by going to the 'File' or 'Menu' tab, selecting 'Properties' or 'Document Properties', and viewing the 'Description' or 'General' tab.
