PDF tool
Redact a PDF
Redact a PDF free: draw a box and the text, pictures and drawings under it are removed from the file, not just covered. No signup. We never upload your file.
Drop a PDF here
Never uploaded · processed in this tab
What this tool does
It redacts a PDF: you draw a box over a name, an account number or a paragraph, and everything under it is taken out of the file and replaced by a black block. The text, pictures and drawings in the box are removed, along with any form field there, so nobody can copy, search or uncover them in the downloaded copy. It is free, with no limit on how many files or pages, no signup and no watermark.
How to redact a PDF
- Choose the PDF, or drop it onto the box above. The editor opens with Redact chosen.
- Drag a box over everything that must go. Draw as many boxes as you need, on any page.
- Check each page. Undo takes a box back while you are still in the editor.
- Select Download. In the downloaded file the redactions are permanent.
What happens to your file
We never upload your file. The PDF is opened and redacted inside this browser tab, and the redacted copy is made there too. We store nothing and remember nothing for your next visit. Your original file is not changed: keep it somewhere safe if you might need the full version again.
What it cannot do
- Redaction doesn't touch the file's metadata, such as its title, author and keywords. Check them in your PDF reader's document properties.
- Whiteout, also in the editor, covers but doesn't remove: the text under it is still in the file. Use Redact, not Whiteout, for anything that must not be read.
- It doesn't find words for you: you draw each box where the text is.
- A digitally signed file loses its signature when redacted. You are told before you download.
- Old Adobe XFA forms aren't supported.
- The file can be up to 200 MB.
To add text, ticks or a signature as well, use Edit PDF: it is the same editor, with every tool.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The text, pictures and drawings under each box are removed from the downloaded file, along with any form field there, and the area is blacked out. Copying, searching or lifting off the black box finds nothing underneath.
Whiteout covers what is underneath with a block of colour, but the text is still in the file and can be copied out. Redact removes it. Use Redact for anything that must not be read, such as account numbers or names.
No. Redact works on the pages. The file's metadata, such as its title, author, subject and keywords, is left as it was. Check the document properties in your PDF reader if they could give something away.
In the editor, yes: Undo takes it back until you download. In the downloaded file, no: what was under the box is gone for good. Keep your original file if you might need it.
It is free with no limit on how many files or pages, no signup and no watermark. We never upload your file: the PDF is opened and redacted inside this browser tab, so the information you are hiding is not sent to us.