Redact PDF
Permanently black out sensitive information in your PDF. Draw rectangles over text or images you want to hide. The redaction is flattened into the page, making it unrecoverable.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Ctrl + Z | Undo last redaction |
| Ctrl + D | Download redacted PDF |
| Ctrl + Enter | Apply all redactions |
| R | Reset / change file |
| ← → | Previous / next page |
What Is PDF Redaction?
PDF redaction is the process of permanently removing sensitive information from a document. Unlike simply placing a black box over text (which can be removed by copying or using PDF editing tools), true redaction destroys the underlying content so it can never be recovered. This is essential for legal compliance, privacy protection, and secure document sharing.
Our free online PDF redaction tool works entirely in your browser. It renders each page as a high-resolution image, burns the black redaction rectangles directly into the pixel data, then rebuilds the PDF from those flattened images. The original text layer, metadata, and hidden content are completely eliminated. This approach is the same method used by professional redaction software and meets the standards required for legal document production. You can also use our Protect PDF tool to add password encryption after redacting.
How to Redact a PDF
- Upload your PDF - Drag and drop your file onto the upload area, or click to browse. Files up to 100MB are supported and never leave your device.
- Draw redaction boxes - Click and drag on the canvas to draw black rectangles over any text, images, or data you want to permanently hide. Use the page selector to navigate between pages.
- Review your redactions - Double-click any box to remove it, or use Undo Last to step back. The redaction count updates in real time so you can track your progress.
- Apply permanently - Click "Apply Redactions" to flatten all pages. This process renders each page at 2x resolution and burns the redactions into the image data. This step is irreversible.
- Preview and download - Review the redacted output in the preview panel. Edit the filename if needed, then download your permanently redacted PDF.
Features
- Permanent redaction - Content is destroyed at the pixel level, not just covered
- 100% private - All processing happens locally in your browser using pdf-lib and PDF.js
- Multi-page support - Navigate between pages and add redactions to any page
- Visual drawing - Click and drag to draw precise rectangles on a rendered canvas
- Touch support - Works on tablets and mobile devices with tap-and-drag
- Undo and remove - Undo last action or double-click any box to remove it
- Editable filename - Customize the output filename before downloading
- Preview before download - See the redacted result before saving
- Progress indicator - Real-time progress bar during the flattening process
- Keyboard shortcuts - Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+D download, arrow keys for pages
Use Cases
Legal document production: When responding to discovery requests or FOIA inquiries, attorneys must redact privileged information, social security numbers, and confidential business data before producing documents. This tool ensures the redaction is permanent and meets court standards.
HR and compliance: Before sharing employee records, performance reviews, or internal reports externally, HR teams need to remove personal identifiers, salary information, and other protected data. The visual drawing interface makes it easy to target specific fields.
Medical records: Healthcare providers sharing records under HIPAA must redact patient identifiers. Since this tool processes everything locally, no PHI ever leaves the user's device, maintaining compliance with data handling requirements. For extracting text from medical PDFs before redaction, try our Extract Text from PDF tool.
Tips and Tricks
- Draw slightly larger boxes - Extend your redaction rectangles a few pixels beyond the text to ensure nothing bleeds through at the edges.
- Check all pages - Sensitive information often appears in headers, footers, or watermarks that repeat across pages. Use the arrow keys to quickly flip through.
- Verify the output - After downloading, open the redacted PDF and try selecting text in the redacted areas. If done correctly, there should be no selectable text (the page is now an image).
- Compress after redacting - Since redacted PDFs are image-based and larger, run the output through our Compress PDF tool to reduce file size.
- Use keyboard shortcuts - Ctrl+Z to undo mistakes quickly, arrow keys to navigate pages without touching the mouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the redaction permanent and unrecoverable?
Yes. The tool flattens each page into a rasterized image with black rectangles burned in. The original text layer is completely removed, making redacted content impossible to recover or select.
Does my PDF leave my device?
No. All processing happens locally in your browser using pdf-lib and PDF.js. Your files are never uploaded to any server, ensuring complete privacy for sensitive documents.
Can I redact multiple pages at once?
Yes. Use the page selector dropdown to navigate between pages and draw redaction boxes on each one. All redactions across all pages are applied together when you click Apply.
What happens to the text under the redaction?
The text is permanently destroyed. Unlike simple black overlays that can be removed, this tool re-renders each page as an image with the redaction burned in, then rebuilds the PDF from those images.
Will the output file be larger than the original?
Usually yes, because pages are converted to JPEG images at 2x resolution for quality. A typical 1MB text PDF might become 3-5MB after redaction. This is the tradeoff for permanent, unrecoverable redaction.
Can I undo a redaction after applying?
Before clicking Apply, you can undo any redaction box using the Undo button or by double-clicking it. After applying, the redaction is permanent and cannot be reversed.
Related Tools
Conclusion
Redacting sensitive information from PDFs should not require expensive software or uploading confidential documents to third-party servers. This free browser-based tool gives you permanent, unrecoverable redaction with a simple draw-and-apply workflow. Whether you are preparing legal documents, sanitizing medical records, or removing personal data before sharing, your files stay private on your device throughout the entire process. Try it now, or explore our full suite of free online PDF tools.