Redact PDF
Permanently black out names, numbers or any phrase, so the text is gone rather than hidden.
Runs in your browser FreeNo sign-in
Before you start. Real redaction removes the text, it does not cover it. This tool rebuilds each page as an image with the matched runs painted over, so nothing can be copied out or recovered from the file. Always check the result before sending it.
Loading Redact PDF…
This tool runs on your own device, so it needs JavaScript. If this message stays, enable JavaScript for this site and reload — nothing here is uploaded, which is why the work has to happen in the browser.
How to use redact pdf
- Choose your PDF file. Drop the file onto the upload area or pick it from your device. The file is read straight into your browser and is not uploaded anywhere.
- Set the options. Adjust the settings shown for redact pdf. The defaults suit most files, so you can usually leave them alone.
- Check and save the result. Run the tool and download the modified PDF file. Compare it against your original before you rely on it — conversions do not always carry every detail across.
Privacy
This page does the work itself. Your file is read into memory by the browser, transformed, and offered back as a download — it never reaches a server, so there is nothing to store, log or delete. Reloading the page clears it.
Questions
Is the text really gone, or just hidden?
Really gone. Drawing a black rectangle over text in a normal PDF editor leaves the words underneath, where anyone can select or extract them. This tool re-renders every page as an image with the matches painted out, so there is no text layer left to recover.
Why is a whole phrase covered when I only searched for part of it?
Redaction is applied to the whole text run containing your match, which is deliberately cautious. Covering slightly too much is safe; covering slightly too little is not.
Can I still search the redacted file?
No. Because the pages become images, the document loses its text layer entirely. Keep the original if you need a searchable copy.
Does my file get uploaded?
No. Redaction happens in your browser, which matters more here than anywhere else on the site.
Working with PDF
About PDF
A fixed-layout page format. A PDF records where each glyph sits on the page, along with fonts, vector shapes and embedded images, so it looks identical everywhere it is opened.
It does not store paragraphs, headings or tables as structure. Anything that reads meaning back out of a PDF is reconstructing it from position and spacing, which is why converting away from PDF is the harder direction.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing happens after choosing a file. Check the file really is PDF — a renamed extension fails here the same way it fails in other readers.
- The upload is refused. Files over 32 MB are rejected. Split the document first, or use one of the browser-side tools, which are limited only by your device memory.
- The result looks different from the original. Some conversions cannot carry every feature across formats. The page says what was dropped when that happens.