About the Redact PDF
Permanently remove names, account numbers, addresses or anything else from a PDF before you share it. Draw boxes over what should go, or type the words to find and black out on every page.
It's real redaction: what's under the boxes is removed from the file, not just covered with a black shape. Everything happens in your browser; the PDF isn't uploaded.
How it works
A black box drawn on top of text hides it on screen, but the text is still in the file and can be copied out. This tool doesn't do that. Each page that has a box is redrawn as a picture with the boxes burned in, so the text, images and links on that page are replaced by pixels and nothing under a box can be recovered. Pages without boxes are copied unchanged.
Before you get the file, it's read back: every word you searched for must be gone from every page, and the redacted pages must contain no text at all. If anything is left, the file isn't saved.
Assumptions and limits
- Redacted pages become pictures: their text can't be selected, searched or read aloud any more. Other pages keep their text.
- Search finds text the PDF contains. Words that are only in a scanned picture can't be found by searching; draw a box over them instead.
- Files up to 100 MB. Very long documents with many redacted pages take longer and make a bigger file.
- Check the result before sharing it: the tool removes what you mark, so anything you don't mark stays.
Worked examples
A payslip
Type the employee's name and national ID number, press Find and mark, check the boxes on each page, and redact. The download has those details removed on every page they appeared on.
A signature or a photo
Tap the page, drag a box over the signature, and redact. The area becomes solid black in the file itself.
Hidden details
Keep 'Also remove the document details' ticked to clear the title, author and other hidden information that often names the person who made the file.
How to use the Redact PDF
- Open the document. Pick the PDF you need to share; its pages appear as thumbnails.
- Mark what to remove. Find words on every page, or tap a page and drag boxes.
- Redact and download. The file is checked before you get it.
Frequently asked questions
Can redacted text be recovered?
No. Pages with boxes are rebuilt as pictures with the boxes burned in, so the original text and images under them are no longer in the file. The result is checked before download: searched words must be gone everywhere.
Why can't I select text on some pages afterwards?
Those are the pages you redacted. Turning them into pictures is what makes the redaction permanent. Pages without any boxes are copied exactly as they were, with their text.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Searching, drawing and redacting all happen in your browser on your own device. Nothing from the PDF is sent to our server, which matters for documents you need to redact.
Why wasn't a word found?
Either the spelling differs, or the word is part of a scanned image rather than text. For scanned pages, tap the page and draw a box over the word instead of searching for it.
Does it remove hidden information too?
With 'Also remove the document details' ticked, the title, author, subject and other metadata are cleared. Redacted pages also lose their links, comments and form fields, because the page is rebuilt.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter or upload stays on your device and is never sent to our servers.