Redact a PDF So the Hidden Text Is Really Gone
or drop files here
Cover a name, a figure or a whole paragraph, and the words beneath are erased from the file instead of merely painted over. The document you are redacting is handled by this browser tab alone.
Mark it, apply it, share it safely.
Open the document
Drop in the PDF you need to share. Each page appears as a large preview you can step through with Previous and Next.
Box the sensitive parts
Drag a rectangle over a signature, a photo or a paragraph, or let Find box every copy of a name or account number. Click any box to take it away.
Apply and save
Boxed pages are rebuilt as images with the black burned in, the old content is deleted, and the copy is ready to save.
Share the document, keep the details.
Most documents only need a handful of lines hidden before they can be sent. These are the situations where people reach for redaction most.
Court and tribunal filings
Rules often require hiding minors’ names, dates of birth and account numbers before a bundle is filed. Search each one once and every page is covered.
Proof of address from a bank statement
A landlord needs your name and address, not your balance or what you spent last month. Black out the transaction table and send the rest.
Workplace investigation reports
HR can share findings with the people involved while removing the names of witnesses who spoke in confidence.
Public records requests
Councils and agencies answering an information request can release the document while covering exempt passages and staff phone numbers.
Sample contracts and proposals
Show a prospect what a real agreement looks like with the previous client’s name, prices and bank details removed.
Scanned ID and medical pages
Scans have no text to search, so draw by hand over a passport number or an unrelated diagnosis before the page goes to an insurer or employer.
Why a black box is not a redaction
A PDF page is a list of drawing instructions: put these letters here, draw this line there. When someone adds a black rectangle in an ordinary editor, a new instruction is appended to the end of that list. The letters are still in the file, so anyone can select across the box, paste the text into an email, or press Ctrl+F and find it. Leaked court papers and government reports have been "unredacted" this way for years.
This tool takes the other route. Each page with a box is rendered on your device at the resolution you pick, the boxes are painted onto that picture in solid black, and the picture is inserted where the page used to be. The original page, along with every font and image only it used, is then dropped from the file when it is saved. What remains under the black is black pixels and nothing else.
Test your result before sending it. Open the saved copy, try to drag-select across a box, and search for one of the hidden words. Neither should find anything. For personal data you have not spotted yet, try Auto-Redact PDF, which looks for emails, phone and card numbers for you.
| Shape drawn on top | This tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Text under a box | Still in the file, can be copied or searched | Deleted with the old page |
| Rest of a boxed page | Selectable as before | Becomes part of an image |
| Pages with no boxes | Unchanged | Unchanged, text stays real |
| Comments and links on a boxed page | Kept | Removed with the old page |
| Author, title, XMP history | Kept | Removed when the option is on |
| File size | Same | Grows by roughly one JPEG per boxed page |
Questions answered.
Is this a real redaction or just a black rectangle on top?
Why can I no longer select text on the page I redacted?
Why is the redacted file larger than the original?
Will Find catch every place a word appears?
How accurate are the boxes placed by a search?
What about the author name, title and comments in the file?
Should I flatten a fillable form before redacting it?
When is "Redact every page as an image" worth turning on?
Does the PDF go to a server while I redact it?
More tools you might need.
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