Redact PDF
Permanently black out sensitive information like names, addresses, phone numbers, or anything else you need to hide before sharing.
Tip: Click and drag anywhere on the page to draw a redaction box. The content underneath will be permanently destroyed when you save — it can't be recovered.
About this tool
Permanently Remove Sensitive Info from PDFs
Need to share a document but want to hide names, account numbers, addresses, or other private details? This tool lets you black them out permanently — the hidden content is truly destroyed, not just covered with a colored box.
True Redaction
Unlike highlighting in black (which can be removed), this tool re-renders the entire page with the redaction burned in. The original content is gone — permanently.
Completely Private
Your document never leaves your computer. There are no uploads, no cloud servers, and nobody else can see your file. Perfect for legal, medical, and financial documents.
Easy to Use
Just draw rectangles over what you want to hide. Made a mistake? Click the X to remove a box, or hit Undo. Nothing is permanent until you click Save.
How to redact a PDF
- 1
Open your document
Click "Select PDF File" or drag and drop your document onto the page. It loads instantly — nothing is uploaded anywhere.
- 2
Draw over what you want to hide
Click and drag to draw red rectangles over any names, numbers, addresses, or other details you want to remove. You'll see a red tinted box appear over each area.
- 3
Check every page
Use the page strip at the bottom to flip through your document. Pages with redactions show a red dot on their thumbnail. You can remove any box by hovering and clicking the X.
- 4
Save the redacted PDF
Click "Apply & Save." The sensitive content is permanently destroyed and a clean PDF downloads to your device. The hidden text cannot be recovered.
Frequently asked questions
Is the content actually removed, or just covered up?
Actually removed. Many "redaction" tools just place a black box on top of the text — someone can still copy-paste what's underneath. This tool completely re-renders each page as an image with the black boxes burned in. The original text is gone. It cannot be recovered, copied, selected, or searched.
Is my document safe? Who can see it?
Only you. Your file never leaves your computer — there's no upload, no cloud server involved. The redaction happens right inside your browser, making it safe for contracts, medical records, legal filings, and anything else confidential.
Can I undo a redaction?
Yes — before you save. Hover over any red box and click the X to remove it, or use the Undo button to remove the last one you drew. Once you click "Apply & Save," it's permanent.
Is it free?
Completely free. No account, no watermarks, no limits on how many PDFs you can redact.
Why not just highlight text in black using a regular PDF editor?
Because that doesn't actually hide anything. A black highlight is just a colored annotation sitting on top of the text. Anyone can remove it, copy the text underneath, or extract it with a simple tool. True redaction — like this tool does — destroys the content so it can never be seen again.
Can I still print the redacted document?
Yes. The redacted PDF opens and prints normally in any PDF viewer. Redacted areas will show up as solid black rectangles, exactly as you'd expect.