Redact PDF

Black out private information for good – names, ID numbers, account details, addresses or signatures.

🔒 Your files are processed on your device and never uploaded.

Redact PDF at a glance

Price
Free
Account
Not needed
Watermark
None
Privacy
Files are processed inside your browser and are never uploaded.
Works on
Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone – in any modern browser
Install
Nothing to install
Really removedRedacted pages are rebuilt so the hidden words cannot be copied or recovered.
Find & redactType a word or number and hide every place it appears.
PrivateYour document is redacted on your device, never uploaded.

How to use Redact PDF

  1. Press Select PDF file.
  2. Drag boxes over what you want to hide, or type a word and press Hide all.
  3. Press Redact PDF and download the safe copy.

Why a black box is not enough

Drawing a black rectangle in a normal editor only covers the text. Anyone can still copy it, search for it or remove the box. This tool rebuilds every page that has a redaction as a picture with the black boxes burned in, so the hidden information is truly gone. Pages without redactions are kept exactly as they were, with selectable text. Document information such as author and title is removed as well.

What to redact

Check before you share

Hide all finds words that are stored as text. Words inside pictures or scanned pages cannot be found automatically – drag boxes over them by hand, and look through every page before you save.

Frequently asked questions

What is redaction?
Redaction permanently removes private information from a document before you share it – for example ID numbers, account details, addresses or other people’s names – and leaves a black box where it was.
Is the hidden text really deleted?
Yes. Pages with boxes are rebuilt as pictures with the boxes burned in, so the hidden words no longer exist in the file and cannot be copied, searched or recovered. The rest of the text on those pages is put back as an invisible, searchable layer – without the hidden words.
How does “Hide all” work?
Type a word, name or number and every place it appears as text is boxed automatically. Words inside photos or scans cannot be found this way – drag boxes over them by hand and check each page.
Can I use white instead of black?
Yes. Choose White as the box colour.
What happens to pages without boxes?
They stay exactly as they were, with selectable text. Document information such as author and title is removed from the whole file.
Is it free and private?
Yes. It is free, and everything happens in your browser – your document is never uploaded.

Guides for this tool

Privacy & SecurityHow to Remove Hidden Metadata From PDFs and Photos Before Sharing

PDFs and phone photos carry hidden details - author names, software, dates, comment names, even GPS location. See what they reveal and how to remove them before you share or upload.

9 min readPDF GuidesHow to Crop a PDF and Remove White Margins

Trim wide white margins, scanner borders and unwanted edges from PDF pages, crop all pages or just one, and understand what cropping really hides. Includes reading on phones and printing tips.

9 min readPDF GuidesHow to Compare Two PDF Files and Find Every Change

Spot what changed between two versions of a contract, report or quote. Learn the difference between visual and text comparison, how to read the results and when to double-check.

9 min read

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