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Redact a PDF and really remove the text
Open a PDF, draw boxes over what must not be seen, or find words, email addresses and phone numbers across every page. The marked areas are painted solid black and the text underneath is deleted from the file, not just covered. Your file stays in your browser.
or drop files here, or paste with Ctrl/Cmd+V
One PDF · pages you mark are redrawn with the areas removed
No file to hand?
Your files stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded. Check it yourself
How to use Redact PDF
Open your PDF
Choose one PDF. Use the page buttons and the row of page numbers to move around; pages that already have marks are shown in that row.
Mark what to hide
Drag on a page to draw a black box, and press the cross on a box to remove it. Or type words or names, tick Email addresses, Phone numbers or Long numbers, and press Find on all pages to review every match.
Redact and download
Press Redact and download. Each page with marks is redrawn with the marked areas solid black. Open the saved file and check it before you share it.
Redaction that deletes, not just covers
The common mistake is to draw a black box over a name and save the file. The words are still in it, and anyone can copy them or lift the box away. Here every page with marks is redrawn as an image at 200 DPI with the marked areas painted solid black, and that image replaces the original page.
Bookmarks and links to a redacted page are pointed at the new page, form fields on it are removed, and so are its accessibility tags. With the hidden data option on, document properties, comments, attachments, form entries and earlier saved versions go too.
The trade-off is that redacted pages can no longer be selected or searched. Pages without marks stay exactly as they were. Check the result before sharing it. Everything runs on your device and works offline after the first visit.
Questions about Redact PDF
Is the hidden text really removed?
Yes. Each page with marks is redrawn as an image with the marked areas painted solid black, and that image replaces the original page. The text, images and drawings under the marks are deleted from the file, so they cannot be lifted off or copied.
Why is a plain black box not enough?
A box drawn on top of a page usually leaves the words underneath in the file, where they can be selected, copied or revealed by moving the box. This tool replaces the page instead of covering it.
What does Find and redact do?
Type words or names separated by commas, in any case, and tick Email addresses, Phone numbers or Long numbers such as account, card or ID numbers. Find on all pages marks every match so you can review them, remove any you want to keep, and then redact.
Can I still select and search the text afterwards?
Not on pages that were redacted, because they become images. Pages without marks are kept exactly as they were, with selectable text. Run OCR PDF afterwards if you need searchable text; it will not bring the removed text back.
What happens to bookmarks, links and form fields?
Bookmarks and links to a redacted page are pointed at the new page. Form fields on that page and its accessibility tags are removed, so nothing keeps the old page's text in the file.
What is the hidden data option?
It is on by default and also removes document properties, comments, attachments, form entries and earlier saved versions, because the file is written afresh. Turn it off if you want to keep any of those.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?
Yes, but a scan has no text to search, so draw the boxes by hand. Always check the result before sharing it, and your file is never sent anywhere because everything runs in your browser.