Redact PDF
Take names, numbers and whole sections out of a PDF for good. The content is deleted from the file itself, not covered with a black box — and it all happens in your browser.
Free · No sign-up · Files stay on your device
How to use it
- Step 1
Add your PDF
Drag it onto the page, paste it, or choose it from your device. Nothing is uploaded.
- Step 2
Adjust the settings
Pick the options you need and check the preview.
- Step 3
Download the result
Save it, or continue straight into another tool.
More about this tool
Redacting removes content instead of hiding it. Mark an area — by dragging over it, or by searching for a name or number and marking every match at once — and the words underneath are deleted from the page’s own instructions before a solid box is drawn on top. Copy from the finished file and there is nothing there to copy.
When to use it
Before sending a payslip, a bank statement, a medical form, an ID scan or a contract to someone who should not see every part of it. Use it whenever "cover it up" is not good enough, which is any time the file leaves your hands.
What it will not do
Where an area touches a photo, a logo or a font we cannot read confidently, that whole page is redrawn as a picture — the content really is gone, but text on that page stops being selectable and the file grows. Vector lines that only partly cross an area are covered rather than removed. Scanned PDFs hold no searchable text, so search finds nothing in them and areas have to be marked by hand. The result is checked twice before you get it, and if it cannot be verified nothing is saved.
Common questions
Is a black box the same as redacting?
No. A box drawn on top can be lifted off, and the text under it can still be copied. This deletes the words from the page itself first, then draws the box.
Can I redact every place a name or number appears?
Yes. Search for it and every match is marked at once, or drag over any area by hand.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes, but a scan holds no searchable text, so mark the areas by hand — or run it through OCR PDF first so search can find names and numbers. The finished file is checked before you get it, and nothing is saved if the removal cannot be verified.
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