Redact a PDF, free, for real
Draw a box over what must go: a name, an account number, a signature, a photo. When you save, the text, pictures and drawings under the box are taken out of the file, not just covered, and the box is drawn black. Nothing is uploaded, which is the point when the document is private.
✓ no upload✓ content removed✓ no account✓ works offline
How redaction works here
- Open the PDF. Drop it on the page or choose it. The editor opens with the Redact tool picked.
- Mark what must go. Drag a box over each part. Until you save, the boxes are marks you can move, remove or undo.
- Save. Saving writes a new file in which everything under the boxes has been removed, then draws the boxes black. The original stays open, unchanged, until you close it.
What it does
- Removes the characters under a box from the text, letter by letter, so copy, search and text extraction cannot find them.
- Paints out the pixels of pictures under a box in the picture itself.
- Cuts drawings at the box and removes links, notes and form values under it.
- Writes the file fresh, so no earlier version of the page is left inside it.
What it does not do
- It does not find personal data for you yet; you mark each area.
- It does not remove information outside the boxes, such as the document's title or author; use Remove PDF metadata for that.
- It does not redact text inside scanned pictures by searching for it; draw the box over the picture area instead.
Questions
Is the text really gone, or just covered?
Gone. Saving takes the characters under each box out of the file and then draws the box. Our tests search every byte of the saved file for the removed text.
Why does uploading matter for redaction?
Documents that need redacting are the ones that should not be sent to a stranger's server. Here the file never leaves your browser tab.
Can I undo a redaction?
Before you save, yes: the boxes are marks you can remove or undo. After saving, the removed content is not in the new file, by design; your original file is unchanged.
What about the document's hidden information?
Redaction removes what is under the boxes. To remove the author, title and other hidden details too, run Remove PDF metadata on the saved file.
Does my file leave my computer?
No. Everything runs in your browser tab. Nothing is uploaded.