Editing Stripping Metadata from PDFs (section)

== Windows ==
Before you begin you will need to install LibreOffice, Exiftool, and QPDF.

While other document editors might be suitable, we recommend LibreOffice due to its open-source nature and '''highly suggest avoiding Microsoft Office'''.

=== Prerequisites ===

* Ensure you have administrative privileges for installations and PATH edits.
* Winget must be available (included in Windows 10/11 via the App Installer; update it from the Microsoft Store if needed). If <code>winget</code> is not recognized in Command Prompt, install it manually from Microsoft's official GitHub repository: https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli.

=== LibreOffice ===
To install LibreOffice on Windows, download it from their official download link below and run the installer: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/

=== Exiftool ===
To install <code>exiftool</code> on Windows, first open a command prompt window (type Win+R, type in <code>cmd.exe</code>, and hit enter to open a prompt window) then copy/paste the following command in and hit enter. Follow the on screen instructions for the installer:

<code>winget install --id OliverBetz.ExifTool -e</code>

=== QPDF ===
Install <code>qpdf</code> by entering the following command into the Command Prompt:

<code>winget install --id QPDF.QPDF -e</code>

Run the following to check the version that was installed. Take note of it:

<code>winget list --id QPDF.QPDF</code>

Open <code>C:\Program Files</code> and look for a folder titled <code>qpdf 12.2.0</code>. Yours may have a different version number. Copy the file path to the bin folder. The filepath will be something like <code>C:\Program Files\qpdf 12.2.0\bin</code>.

Search for "edit system variables" in the Windows search bar and open it. Click on the "Environment variables" button. Click on "PATH" under user variables, then click "Edit". A new window will pop up. Click the new button and then paste the folder path to the qpdf bin folder. Click OK to close both windows.