Redact PDF
Real redaction means the words are gone, not hidden. Drawing a black rectangle in most editors leaves the text underneath fully selectable and copyable, which is how redaction failures end up in the news. This tool removes the content and then burns the redaction into the page. It is free, needs no account, and adds no watermark to your result.
Redact PDF
Add your files. Recommended settings are ready, so you can process in one click.
PDF, Word, images, audio, video, archives and more
Up to 100 files · 250 MB · No account- 1Add files
- 2Choose an action
- 3Download or keep going
What people use it for.
What happens to your file.
You select text or a rectangular region, and the matching content is removed from the page rather than covered. The redaction is then applied and the document saved, so the underlying characters no longer exist in the file.
Where it stops: Redaction cannot undo what metadata or attachments still reveal. Clear the document metadata as well, and remember that a redacted name may still be inferable from surrounding context.
Everything you need, without a paywall.
Common questions.
Why is a black rectangle not enough?
A rectangle is just another object drawn on top. The text stays in the file, so anyone can select, copy or extract it. Genuine redaction deletes the content first.
Can the redacted text be recovered?
Not from the page content, because it is removed before the file is saved. You should still clear metadata separately, since it can hold a title or author you meant to hide.
Does redaction work on scanned documents?
On a scanned page the words are pixels, so a region redaction removes that part of the image. Run OCR first if you need to search for the text you intend to remove.
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