Redact PDF — Permanently Black Out Text
Black out ID numbers, names, and other personal details in a PDF so they can't be copied or recovered.
Drag a box over any text or detail you want to hide. The redaction is burned into the file permanently, so the text under the black bar can't be copied or recovered — unlike simply drawing a rectangle on top.
How to redact a PDF (3 steps)
- Open your PDF; its pages are shown on screen.
- Drag boxes over the information you want to hide (as many areas on as many pages as you need).
- Save — the information is permanently removed — and download.
Why a plain black box isn't enough
If you draw a black rectangle in an ordinary editor, the text underneath usually stays in the file, and the recipient can select it and copy it out. That's why this tool rebuilds every page as an image after redaction: the original text under the black bars is genuinely gone from the new file.
What people commonly redact
- ID numbers, dates of birth, and addresses before sending a copy of an ID card to someone.
- Account numbers and balances on a bank statement attached as proof.
- Customer names, salaries, or other personal data before sharing a document outside your organization.
Know this before you start
- Every page of the output is an image (about 144 dpi), so no text in the whole file can be searched or copied, and the file may be larger than the original.
- Keep the original file somewhere safe — the redacted text can't be recovered from the new file.
- Zoom in and check the edges of every black bar before sending, to make sure each one fully covers the characters.
FAQ
Can the black bars be removed later?
No. The content under the bars is converted to an image and the original data is permanently deleted. That's the difference from simply drawing on top.
What can I use it for?
Hiding ID numbers, salaries, customer names, and other personal data before you share a document.
Can the redacted text still be found by searching?
No. The text in the redacted areas is actually removed from the file.
How many areas can I redact per page?
There's no limit. You can cover several areas on several pages in one go, and check that everything is covered before creating the file.
Does it work on scanned files?
Yes. Redaction is applied to an image of the page, whether the original is text or a scan.
How is this different from adding a watermark?
A watermark states what a document is for, but the information stays visible. Redaction removes that part of the information from the file. You can use both together.