groupdocs-metadata-net 26.5.0

GroupDocs.Metadata for Python via .NET - Read, write and remove metadata from documents and images

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GroupDocs.Metadata for Python via .NET is a metadata management API that reads, edits, and removes metadata from documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, images, audio, and video — 70+ file formats. It works with the major metadata standards (XMP, EXIF, IPTC, Image Resource Blocks, ID3, document properties) through one unified, format-independent API.

Get Started

pip install groupdocs-metadata-net

from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata

with Metadata("document.docx") as metadata:
    root = metadata.get_root_package()
    print("Format:", root.file_type.file_format)

How It Works

The package is a self-contained Python wheel (~160 MB) that bundles the embedded .NET runtime and everything needed to process metadata. No external software installation is required — just pip install and start reading metadata. The wheel works across Python 3.5 – 3.14 on Windows, Linux, and macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon).

Features

• Read, edit, and remove metadata from 70+ formats with one unified API.
• Metadata standards: XMP, EXIF, IPTC IIM, Image Resource Blocks, ID3 (ID3v1/ID3v2), Lyrics3, APE.
• Search engine: find, update, add, and remove properties with simple Python predicates and predefined tags.
• One-call sanitize: strip every detected property before sharing a file.
• Document inspection: detect format/MIME type, page count, encryption, digital signatures, comments, and hidden pages.
• Export: dump the metadata tree to CSV, XLSX, JSON, or XML.
• Cross-Platform: Windows x64/x86, Linux x64, macOS x64/ARM64.

Common Tasks

• Detect a file's real format and MIME type by its internal structure
• Read EXIF/XMP/IPTC properties from photos
• Read and edit ID3/APE/Lyrics tags in audio files
• Strip author, comments, and revision history from Office documents before publishing
• Find and remove properties that match a condition (by tag, name, type, or value)
• Export a document's full metadata tree to a spreadsheet for auditing
• Feed extracted metadata into a search, compliance, or DAM pipeline

Supported File Formats

For a complete list, see supported formats.

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Project, OneNote)
• PDF
• OpenDocument (ODT, ODS, ODP)
• Images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP, DICOM, JPEG 2000, PSD, HEIF/HEIC, CR2/DNG and other RAW)
• Audio (MP3, WAV, OGG)
• Video (AVI, MOV, FLV, ASF, Matroska/MKV)
• Email (EML, MSG)
• eBook (EPUB)
• Archives (ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR)
• CAD (DWG, DXF)
• 3D (FBX, STL, 3DS, DAE)
• Fonts (TTF, OTF) and other formats (vCard, torrent)

Examples

Read metadata

from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata

with Metadata("input.docx") as metadata:
    for prop in metadata.find_properties(lambda p: True):
        print(f"{prop.name} = {prop.value}")

Get document info

from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata

with Metadata("input.xlsx") as metadata:
    info = metadata.get_document_info()
    print("Format:", info.file_type.file_format)
    print("MIME type:", info.file_type.mime_type)
    print("Pages:", info.page_count)
    print("Size:", info.size, "bytes")
    print("Encrypted:", info.is_encrypted)

Find properties by tag

from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata
from groupdocs.metadata.tagging import Tags

with Metadata("input.docx") as metadata:
    authors = metadata.find_properties(lambda p: Tags.person.creator in list(p.tags))
    for prop in authors:
        print(prop.name, "=", prop.value)

Set / update properties and save

from datetime import datetime
from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata
from groupdocs.metadata.common import PropertyValue
from groupdocs.metadata.tagging import Tags

with Metadata("input.docx") as metadata:
    affected = metadata.set_properties(
        lambda p: Tags.time.created in list(p.tags),
        PropertyValue(datetime.now()),
    )
    print("Updated:", affected)
    metadata.save("output.docx")

Remove all metadata (sanitize)

from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata

with Metadata("input.pdf") as metadata:
    removed = metadata.sanitize()
    print("Removed:", removed)
    metadata.save("clean.pdf")

Export the metadata tree

from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata
from groupdocs.metadata.export import ExportManager, ExportFormat

with Metadata("input.pdf") as metadata:
    properties = list(metadata.find_properties(lambda p: True))
    ExportManager(properties).export("metadata.xlsx", ExportFormat.XLSX)

Load from a stream

import io
from groupdocs.metadata import Metadata

with open("input.docx", "rb") as stream:
    with Metadata(stream) as metadata:
        print("Format:", metadata.file_format)

buf = io.BytesIO(downloaded_bytes)
with Metadata(buf) as metadata:
    print(metadata.get_document_info().file_type.file_format)

AI Agent & LLM Friendly

This package is designed for seamless integration with AI agents, LLMs, and automated code generation tools.

• AGENTS.md in the package — AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) auto-discover the API surface, usage patterns, and troubleshooting tips from the installed package
• MCP server — connect your AI tool to GroupDocs documentation for on-demand API lookups:

  { "mcpServers": { "groupdocs-docs": { "url": "https://docs.groupdocs.com/mcp" } } }
  

• Machine-readable docs — full documentation available as plain text for RAG and LLM context:
  • Single file: https://docs.groupdocs.com/metadata/python-net/llms-full.txt
  • Per page: append .md to any docs URL

Evaluation Mode

The API works without a license in evaluation mode, with these limitations:

• Only the first few properties of each metadata package are read.
• Saving files is disabled — save() raises an "Evaluation only" exception.

To remove these limitations, apply a license or request a temporary license:

from groupdocs.metadata import License
License().set_license("path/to/license.lic")

Or set the environment variable (auto-applied at import):

export GROUPDOCS_LIC_PATH="path/to/license.lic"

Troubleshooting

Issue	Platform	Fix
System.Drawing.Common is not supported	Linux/macOS	apt-get install libgdiplus (Linux) or brew install mono-libgdiplus (macOS)
The type initializer for 'Gdip' threw an exception	macOS	brew install mono-libgdiplus
Errors processing images that need fonts	Linux	apt-get install ttf-mscorefonts-installer fontconfig && fc-cache -f
DOTNET_SYSTEM_GLOBALIZATION_INVARIANT errors	Linux	Do NOT set this variable. ICU must be available.

System Requirements

• Python 3.5 - 3.14
• Windows x64/x86, Linux x64, macOS x64/ARM64

More Resources

• Documentation
• Code Examples
• Free Support Forum
• Temporary License

Also available for other platforms: .NET | Java | Node.js

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Product Page | Docs | Demos | API Reference | Blog | Free Support | Temporary License