Extract Metadata from Word using Zapier

PDF4me Extract Metadata pulls title, author, subject, keywords, creation/modification dates, page count, word count, and custom properties from Word docs as structured JSON. Ideal for document cataloging, compliance tracking, CMS population, or routing based on metadata—without opening files.

Authenticating Your API Request

To access the PDF4me Web API through Zapier, every request must include proper authentication credentials. Authentication ensures secure communication and validates your identity as an authorized user, enabling seamless integration between your Zapier workflows and PDF4me's powerful Word metadata extraction services.

Get your API Key

Configure the Extract Metadata action—map File and File Name from previous step; Culture Name optional.

Configuration at a Glance

Example configuration from the Zapier interface

File and File Name mapped from previous step (Drive, Dropbox, or trigger). Returns Metadata with Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, CreatedDate, ModifiedDate, PageCount, WordCount; Culture Name optional.

File

Map from step

File Name

document.docx

:::tip Map File from previous steps Use the + button next to File and File Name to map from earlier Zap steps (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, or a trigger). The Word file must provide full content, not "Exists but not shown" references. :::

:::warning File: (Exists but not shown) If you see "File: (Exists but not shown)" in the File field and get errors, select the option that provides the full file content instead. See Zapier & Power Automate Tips for details. :::

Key Features

• Built-in Properties: Extract title, author, subject, keywords, company
• Date Information: Creation date, modification date, last print date
• Document Statistics: Page count, word count, character count
• Custom Properties: Extract user-defined custom document properties
• JSON Output: Structured JSON format for easy integration

Parameters

Complete list of parameters for the Extract Metadata action. Parameter names match the Zapier configuration UI.

Quick setup checklist

1. Map File and File Name from previous step

Important: Parameters marked with an asterisk (***) are required and must be provided for the action to function correctly.

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
File***	File	Word document—map from previous step (Drive, Dropbox, trigger)	[4. File from Step 4]
File Name	String	Word filename—with .docx or .doc extension	document.docx
Culture Name	String	Locale—optional (e.g. en-US)	en-US

Output

The PDF4me Extract Metadata action returns a Metadata object (not a file) containing document properties. Map individual metadata fields to your next Zap steps for cataloging, compliance, or CMS integration.

Key output fields (map these to your next step)

Metadata (Object)

JSON object with Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, CreatedDate, ModifiedDate, PageCount, WordCount, and custom properties. Map nested fields (e.g., Metadata.Title, Metadata.Author) to next steps.

Table

Parameter	Type	Description
Job Id	String	Unique identifier for the Zapier job execution
Metadata	Object	JSON object with document properties
Metadata.Title	String	Document title
Metadata.Author	String	Document author
Metadata.Subject	String	Document subject
Metadata.Keywords	String	Document keywords
Metadata.CreatedDate	String	Creation date (ISO 8601)
Metadata.ModifiedDate	String	Last modification date
Metadata.PageCount	Number	Total page count
Metadata.WordCount	Number	Total word count

JSON

Example JSON output:

{
  "Job Id": "...",
  "Metadata": {
    "Title": "Q4 Financial Report",
    "Author": "John Doe",
    "Subject": "Financial Analysis",
    "Keywords": "finance, Q4, report",
    "CreatedDate": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "ModifiedDate": "2024-01-20T15:45:00Z",
    "PageCount": 25,
    "WordCount": 5280
  }
}

Zap Integration

Use + to map Metadata.Title, Metadata.Author, Metadata.ModifiedDate, or other nested fields to the next step—database, CMS, Google Sheets, or filtering logic.

Scenario Examples

Document Indexing

Automated Document Catalog Indexing Workflow

Complete Scenario Steps:

1. Trigger: New document uploaded to library
2. Get Document: Retrieve Word file
3. Extract Metadata: Get all document properties
4. Parse JSON: Extract title, author, keywords
5. Create Index Entry: Insert metadata to catalog database
6. Tag Document: Apply tags based on keywords
7. Update Search Index: Add document to search system
8. Email Cataloging Team: Send indexing confirmation
9. Archive Original: Store in indexed archive
10. Log Event: Record catalog entry creation

Business Benefits:

• Catalogs 500+ documents monthly automatically
• Metadata extraction enables searchability
• Automated indexing eliminates manual data entry
• Reduces cataloging time from 10 minutes to 30 seconds

Create Zap

Compliance Tracking

Document Compliance Audit Trail Workflow

Complete Scenario Steps:

1. Trigger: Quarterly compliance audit
2. List Controlled Documents: Get all from compliance folder
3. Extract Each Metadata: Loop through documents
4. Check Modification Dates: Verify last modified within policy
5. Check Authors: Validate authorized authors
6. Generate Audit Report: Create compliance report
7. Flag Violations: Identify out-of-compliance documents
8. Email Compliance: Send audit results
9. Archive Report: Store audit evidence
10. Update Compliance Log: Record audit event

Business Benefits:

• Audits 200+ documents quarterly
• Metadata tracking provides compliance evidence
• Automated audit reduces manual review time by 90%
• Complete audit trail for regulators

Create Zap

CMS Integration

Automated CMS Population Workflow

Complete Scenario Steps:

1. Trigger: Document uploaded to staging folder
2. Get Document: Retrieve Word file
3. Extract Metadata: Get properties and stats
4. POST to CMS API: Send metadata to content management
5. Create CMS Record: Title, author, keywords indexed
6. Upload to CMS Storage: Save document to CMS
7. Link Metadata: Associate metadata with file
8. Email Content Team: Notify of new content
9. Move to Archive: File processed to archive
10. Log Integration: Record CMS integration event

Business Benefits:

• Integrates 300+ documents monthly to CMS
• Automated metadata population improves search
• Eliminates manual CMS form filling
• Reduces content onboarding from 15 to 2 minutes

Create Zap

Industry Use Cases & Applications

Compliance & Audit

• Document Audit Trails: Extract modification dates and authors for compliance audit evidence
• Version Control Tracking: Monitor document versions using creation and modification timestamps
• Author Verification: Validate document authors match authorized personnel lists
• Retention Policy Enforcement: Check creation dates against retention schedules for archival decisions
• Controlled Document Management: Track document properties for ISO/quality management compliance

Content Management

• CMS Integration: Populate content management systems with document titles, authors, keywords
• Search Indexing: Extract keywords and subject for full-text search engine indexing
• Document Classification: Categorize documents based on subject and keyword metadata
• Library Cataloging: Index corporate document libraries using extracted properties
• Tag Generation: Auto-generate document tags from keywords and subject fields

Legal & Professional

• Matter Document Tracking: Extract metadata for legal matter document management systems
• Discovery Document Indexing: Catalog discovery documents by author, date, subject for review
• Contract Management: Extract contract parties, dates, subjects for contract database population
• Privilege Log Generation: Use document metadata to auto-generate privilege log entries
• Document Production: Track production document metadata for litigation database systems

Publishing & Documentation

• Manuscript Tracking: Extract author, title, word count for manuscript management systems
• Publishing Workflow: Route documents based on author and modification date metadata
• Style Guide Compliance: Check document properties match publishing style guide requirements
• Content Analytics: Analyze document statistics (word count, page count) for content planning
• Multi-Author Coordination: Track document authors and modification dates in collaborative projects

Get Help

Zapier IntegrationGet your API KeyZapier Documentation