Redact PDF and Remove Text for Good
Redact PDF files with black boxes that remove what is under them, not just cover it.
Redact PDF files before you share them: names, ID and card numbers, addresses, anything that must not travel with the document. Many tools only black out text in PDF files by drawing a box on top, and the words underneath can still be copied, searched or uncovered. Here the text, numbers and pictures under each box are removed from the file itself, and the saved file is checked before you get it. Search for words, find every e-mail address, phone, card or ID number in one tap, or draw boxes by hand; review every box, then save. Everything happens in your browser, so your file never leaves your device.
- Free, no sign-up
- Files never leave your device
- Up to 100 MB per file
Drop a PDF file here
or
Up to 100 MB per file. Your files stay on your device.
Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
What next
- Open the redacted file and search it for a word you removed: nothing should be found.
- Sending it by e-mail? Protect PDF can add a password first.
Step-by-step guide: What Is My Bank Statement PDF Password? How to Open the File and Keep a Copy
How to redact a PDF
- 1
Choose your PDF.
- 2
Type the words or names to hide and press “Add”, or tap a kind of number (e-mail address, phone, card, IBAN, Saudi or Egyptian ID). Then press “Find”. On scanned pages search sees nothing, so draw boxes there instead.
- 3
Press “Draw boxes” and drag across anything else you want to hide. Tap a box to take it back.
- 4
Press “Review” to see every box, page by page. Untick what should stay and choose what else to remove.
- 5
Press “Remove … for good”. The file is checked, and once the check has passed you can download it. Look through it before you share it.
When you would use it
Sending a bank statement or a contract without the account and card numbers.
Sharing a report with names and ID numbers blacked out.
Black out text in PDF files before posting them: phone numbers, e-mail addresses, home addresses.
Taking personal details out of a form or a CV before forwarding it.
What to expect
Text inside pictures, such as scans and photos, is only removed where you draw boxes: search can’t read it.
A page where a box crosses a drawing, a signature or text stored as shapes is turned into a picture, so its text can no longer be selected.
This is not a certified redaction service, and it says nothing about what the law asks of you. Always check the final file before you share it.
Removal can’t be undone: keep your original file somewhere safe.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to redact a PDF here?
Yes. No sign-up, no daily limit and no watermark.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Everything happens inside your browser, on your device. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else, which matters most for the documents people redact.
Is the text really gone, or only covered?
Gone. The letters under each box are taken out of the file, the parts of pictures under it are painted black in the picture itself, and drawings wholly under it are removed. The saved file is then searched again: if anything could still be read under a box, the file isn’t offered.
Can it find text in a scanned PDF?
No. A scan is a picture of a page with no text inside it, so search finds nothing there. Draw boxes over what you want to hide by hand: the picture under each box is blacked out.
Why was a page turned into a picture?
When a box crosses something drawn as shapes, such as a signature, a stamp or text saved as outlines, those shapes can’t be cut in two. So that page is redrawn as a sharp picture with the boxes in it, and nothing under them survives. The result names those pages. Their text can no longer be selected or searched.
What else is removed?
Comments and form fields under a box, and links holding a word you searched for. The words you searched for are also removed where the file keeps them outside its pages: bookmarks, link addresses, page labels, link target names, attachment names and the file’s details. You can also remove every comment, every form answer, all attached files and the file’s details.
Can the boxes say “REDACTED”?
Yes. Tick “Write REDACTED inside each box” when you review. The boxes are always black: a white box would hide the fact that something was removed.
Is this a certified redaction service?
No. It removes what you mark and checks the result carefully, but it makes no promise about what a court, an employer or a government office requires. Always open the final file and check it before you share it.