Redact PDF
Hide names, addresses, account numbers and anything else in a PDF. Draw boxes by hand or search the text to mark every match, then save a copy where the covered text is gone for good, not just hidden behind a shape. Nothing is uploaded.
Drag on a page to draw a box. Drag a box to move it, pull its corner to resize, press × (or Delete) to remove it.
How to use the Redact PDF
- Open the PDF you want to redact by dropping it into the box or clicking to choose it.
- Mark text by search: type a name or number and press Find & mark, or use the quick finders for emails, phone numbers and more.
- Draw extra boxes by dragging on a page. Drag a box to move it, pull its corner to resize, or press × to remove it.
- Choose the quality of the redacted pages and whether every page should be flattened.
- Press Redact & download PDF, then open the new file and check every page before you share it.
Why covering text is not the same as redacting it
A PDF stores text as characters with positions, not as pixels. When someone draws a black rectangle over a name in an ordinary editor, the rectangle is just one more object painted on top. The name is still in the file: it can be selected and copied, found with search, pulled out by text-extraction tools, or revealed by deleting the rectangle. Many leaked court filings and reports were "redacted" exactly this way.
This tool avoids that mistake. Each page that has at least one box is rendered to an image, the boxes are painted into the pixels, and the page is rebuilt from that image alone. The original text, fonts, vector drawings and hidden layers of that page are not copied into the new PDF, so there is nothing left under the box to recover.
What happens to each page
| Page | In the downloaded PDF | Text selectable? |
|---|---|---|
| Has one or more boxes | Flat image with the boxes burned in | No |
| No boxes | Copied unchanged from the original | Yes |
| Any page, with "Flatten every page" ticked | Flat image | No |
A redaction checklist
- Search for every variant: full names and initials, nicknames, account numbers with and without spaces, and email addresses. The quick finders catch common patterns, but always read the pages yourself.
- Look beyond body text: headers, footers, signatures, stamps, photos, charts and handwritten notes on scans need boxes drawn by hand.
- Box generously: cover the full height of the letters, including descenders such as g and y.
- Check the result: open the downloaded PDF, try selecting and searching the redacted areas, and zoom in on every page before you share it.
- Keep the original private: the redacted copy is a new file. Your original still contains everything.
To also strip document properties from pages you did not redact, review them with the PDF Metadata Editor. To add visible notes or whiteout without removing text, use the PDF Editor.
Frequently asked questions
Is the text really removed, or just covered?
It is really removed. Every page that has a redaction box is re-created as a flat image with the boxes burned in, so the original text, fonts and hidden layers of that page are not copied into the new PDF. Selecting, copying or searching that area returns nothing, and the box cannot be moved away to reveal what was underneath.
Why is drawing a black rectangle in a normal PDF editor not enough?
Most editors add the rectangle as a separate shape on top of the page. The text is still in the file, so anyone can select it, copy and paste it, or delete the shape. Real redaction has to remove the underlying content, which is what this tool does by rebuilding redacted pages from pixels.
Will my redacted PDF still have searchable text?
Pages without any redaction box are copied unchanged, so their text stays selectable and searchable. Pages you redacted become images and lose their text layer. If you need those pages searchable again, run the result through an OCR tool after you have checked the redactions.
How does search and mark find the text?
The tool reads the text layer of the PDF and draws a box over each match, across all pages. It finds text in digitally created PDFs. Scanned pages are pictures without a text layer, so for them you draw the boxes by hand.
Does redaction remove hidden information such as metadata?
The new file is a fresh PDF built from your pages, so the original title, author, keywords and other document properties are not carried over. Comments and form fields on redacted pages are flattened into the page image. Review the final file before sharing, especially if it contains attachments or comments on pages you did not redact.
What resolution should I choose?
200 DPI keeps normal text sharp and the file reasonably small. Choose 300 DPI for small print or documents that will be printed, and 150 DPI for the smallest file. Pages without redactions are not affected by this setting unless you flatten every page.
Is it safe to redact confidential documents here?
Yes. The PDF is opened, redacted and saved entirely in your browser, and no part of it is sent to a server. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page has loaded.