Redact a PDF
Black out an ID number, an address or a signature, and make it actually disappear: nothing stays hidden underneath.
Choose the PDF
or drop it here
Drag over what you want to black out. You can mark several areas, on several pages.
Processed in this browser: your file is never uploaded to any server. Turn on airplane mode once the page has loaded and it keeps working. Check it yourself
How to use it
- Choose the PDF.
- Drag a box over each piece of information. The cross removes a box if you get it wrong.
- Tap “Redact and download”.
Why “for real”
Drawing a black box on top doesn’t delete anything: the text is still underneath, and selecting and copying it is enough to read it. It happens all the time with documents published “redacted”.
Here, each page you redact becomes an image with the black already painted in. What was underneath no longer exists in the file. Pages you don’t touch stay as they were.
What changes on redacted pages
- Their text can no longer be selected or searched (they become images at 200 dpi, sharp enough to read and print).
- If you need the text to stay selectable, redact as little as possible: only those pages change.
What’s worth redacting
When you send a document to someone who doesn’t need all your details: ID and passport numbers, bank account numbers, your address, phone number, signature or photo. Check headers and footers too, where they often repeat.
Before you send it, look at what doesn’t show as well: What’s hidden in your PDF lists the author, earlier versions saved inside and photo GPS, and spots other black boxes that don’t actually delete anything.
Questions
Can redacted content be recovered?
Not from the file you download: that part of the page no longer exists in it. Keep your original if you’ll need it.
How do I black out text in a PDF for free?
Choose the file, drag a box over the text and tap “Redact and download”. No account, no watermark, and the document never leaves your device.
What is the “hidden data”?
PDFs store details you don’t see: who made them, with which program and when. With the box ticked, the new file comes out without them.
Other tools
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