Search for names, account numbers or any words, or draw boxes over the parts to hide. When you download, every page with a redaction is rebuilt as an image with the black boxes burned in, so the hidden text cannot be copied or recovered. It is free, and your files never leave this device.
How to redact a PDF, step by step
- Open the PDF by dropping it on the page or pressing Choose a PDF.
- Under Find words, type the names, numbers or phrases to cover. Use Whole words and Match case to be exact, and press Black out every match.
- Under Draw boxes, drag on a page to cover anything else, including pictures and signatures. Tap a box to select it and remove it with its cross or the Delete key.
- Choose the Image quality: 150 dpi for a smaller file, 200 dpi, or 300 dpi for printing.
- Check every page, then press Download redacted PDF.
Why a black box is not enough
Drawing a black rectangle over text in most PDF editors only hides it. The words are still in the file underneath, and anyone can select and copy them or remove the box. This tool rebuilds each redacted page as a picture with the boxes burned in, so the covered text, and every other piece of text on that page, is gone from the file you download. Pages without redactions are kept as they are.
Finding words to redact
Type a name, an account number, an email address or any phrase, and every match in the document is covered. Whole words stops a search for Ann from catching Annual, and Match case tells Smith apart from smith. Check every page before downloading: scanned pages have no text to search, so cover their details by drawing boxes.
What is removed with the boxes
Bookmarks and document details such as the title are left out of the redacted copy, so nothing hidden there comes along. Because redacted pages become images, their text can no longer be selected, searched or copied.
Tips before you share
- Redact every instance: names can appear in headers, footers and signatures.
- Zoom in and check each page, including small print.
- Try to select text under a box in the result. It should not be possible.
- Keep the original in a safe place, and share only the redacted copy.
Who uses it
People sending documents with account numbers, addresses or ID numbers, such as landlords, tenants, job seekers, small businesses and legal teams. To redact plain text instead, use redact text.
Privacy
Redaction happens entirely in your browser. The PDF, your searches and the finished file never leave this device.
Questions
Can the black boxes be removed later?
No. The covered text is not in the file, so removing a box reveals nothing.
Why did my file get bigger?
Redacted pages become images. Choose 150 dpi for a smaller file.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes, but scanned pages have no text to search, so draw boxes over the details instead.