Redact PDF
Permanently remove sensitive content — not just covered, actually gone. Your file never leaves your device.
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Most PDF editors let you draw a black rectangle over text — but that is a visual trick, not a redaction. The text is still in the file, underneath the shape. Anyone who opens the PDF, selects all, and copies will get the "hidden" text. Or they move the box and read the content directly. A court document, a contract with personal details, a tax form — these need real redaction where the data is genuinely removed from the file structure, not just covered.
This tool redacts by replacing each affected page with a rasterised image: the page is rendered to a high-resolution canvas, the black areas are burned in, and the resulting image replaces the page in the output PDF. There is no text layer, no content stream, and no font table entry beneath the redaction — the underlying data does not exist in the output file. Pages without redactions are copied verbatim and keep all their original selectable text and vector content. Everything runs in your browser; your file is never uploaded.
The honest trade-off
Redacted pages are flattened to images to guarantee the content is permanently removed — text on those pages will no longer be selectable, searchable, or copyable. This is intentional and disclosed up front. Pages without redactions are unaffected.
How to Redact a PDF
- 1
Open the tool and drop your PDF
Drag your PDF onto the upload area or click to browse. The PDF opens in an in-browser viewer — nothing is uploaded.
- 2
Draw black redaction areas
Click and drag over any text, image, or other content you want removed. Cover everything you want gone — you can draw multiple overlapping areas on the same page.
- 3
Navigate to other pages if needed
Use the Prev / Next buttons to move between pages. Draw redaction areas on each page that contains sensitive content. The areas you draw on earlier pages are preserved as you navigate.
- 4
Review and confirm
When you are ready, click "Apply Redactions & Download." A confirmation step lists which pages will be affected and reminds you that redaction is permanent.
- 5
Download the redacted PDF
The output PDF replaces each redacted page with a flat image. Redacted pages have no text layer. Non-redacted pages are unchanged and keep selectable text.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between redaction and drawing a black box over text?
Drawing a black rectangle in most PDF editors creates a visual cover — the original text remains in the file underneath and can be uncovered by moving or deleting the shape, or by selecting all text and copying. True redaction removes the content from the file structure. This tool redacts by replacing the entire affected page with a rasterised image that has the black area burned in, so there is no underlying text or data beneath it.
Why are redacted pages converted to images?
Replacing the page with an image is the most reliable method. Surgical approaches that try to remove only the text under a redaction area risk leaving fragments in font tables, content streams, or embedded metadata. Rasterising the whole page eliminates any possibility of residual data, at the cost of making text on that page non-selectable. This is an intentional, disclosed trade-off.
Can the redacted content be recovered?
No. The redacted page in the output PDF is a PNG image — there is no text layer, no hidden content stream, and no metadata containing the original values. The black areas are pixel values burned into the image. There is nothing underneath them to recover.
Why is text no longer selectable after redacting a page?
Because the page has been replaced with an image that contains no embedded text. Pages without any redaction areas are copied verbatim and keep all their original selectable text, links, and vector content. Only pages you actually redact are affected.
Is the PDF ever sent to a server?
No. Rendering, drawing, rasterising, and building the output PDF all run inside your browser on your own device. Open your browser's Network tab while using the tool — you will see no upload request for your PDF.
What if my PDF is password-protected?
Decrypt it first using the Unlock PDF tool, then redact the unlocked copy. The redact tool will show an error if it cannot open a locked PDF.