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How it works
- Upload your PDF
- Click and drag to draw black boxes over sensitive content on each page
- Navigate pages with the arrows to redact multiple pages
- Click Apply & Download to save the permanently redacted PDF
Note: Redacted pages are flattened to images, so underlying text is completely removed and unrecoverable. Output file size will be larger than the original.
When to use Redact PDF
Personal data
Permanently blacking out sensitive personal information (names, addresses, SSNs) before sharing documents
Business secrets
Redacting confidential business data, trade secrets, or proprietary information from legal documents
Public disclosure
Sanitizing PDFs before public release under freedom of information or data disclosure regulations
Legal discovery
Removing classified or privileged information from documents before discovery in legal proceedings
How to redact a PDF — Step by Step
Upload your PDF
Drag and drop your PDF onto the tool
Select content to redact
Click and drag your mouse over the text or areas you want to black out
Adjust redactions
Reposition or resize redaction boxes as needed before finalizing
Apply redactions
Click "Apply Redactions" to permanently remove the covered content
Download the redacted PDF
Save the sanitized document
Frequently Asked Questions
🔏 Is redaction reversible?
No. Once you apply redactions, the covered content is permanently removed from the PDF. The black boxes cannot be undone or removed to reveal the underlying text. Always keep a backup of the original file.
🔍 How is redaction different from covering text with a black shape?
True redaction removes the underlying text data from the PDF, not just visually covers it. Simply drawing a black box over text doesn't remove it — the text can still be copied or extracted. Our tool permanently deletes the covered content.
✏️ Can I redact multiple areas on the same page?
Yes, you can add as many redaction boxes as needed on each page. Each box is applied independently.
📄 Does redaction work on scanned documents?
Yes. On scanned PDFs, the redaction box covers the image area permanently. The visual content underneath is replaced with black.