PDF Tool

Redact PDF

Permanently redact sensitive information from PDFs. Drag over it with a mouse, a finger or a pen, or find it by its text. The text and image pixels under each mark are removed from the file, not just covered, on rotated and cropped pages too, and you see the redacted pages before you download.

Redaction is permanent and irreversible

The text and image pixels under each mark are removed from the file — not just covered — and so are shapes a mark covers completely. The rest of the document stays intact and selectable.

Drop your file here, or browse

PDF to redact

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How to Redact PDF

  1. Add your PDF and mark

    Drop your PDF. Drag over what you want to remove with a mouse, a finger or a pen, or type text and press Find & mark all.

  2. Adjust and confirm

    Marked areas show in translucent red. Move, resize or remove them, use Undo and Redo, then tick the confirmation and press Redact PDF.

  3. Check and download

    Look through the redacted pages and the check of what is left under your marks, then press Download PDF.

Features

  • True redaction: text and image pixels under a mark are removed, not covered
  • Mark with a mouse, a finger or a pen
  • Find & mark every place a phrase appears
  • Removes the area shown, on rotated and cropped pages too
  • See the redacted pages before you download
  • Undo and redo
  • Full metadata strip option
  • Two-step safety workflow
  • SHA-256 before/after comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes this "true" redaction?
The text under each mark and the image pixels under it are removed from the PDF itself, not just covered with a black box, and so are shapes a mark covers completely. A black box is then drawn where the content was. The rest of the page keeps its selectable text.
Can I redact text by searching for it?
Yes. Type a word, name or number and press Find & mark all: every place it appears, on every page and in any capitals, gets a mark over just those words, not the rest of the line, which you can move, resize or remove before redacting. A phrase that runs onto the next line gets a mark on each line.
Can I mark areas with a finger or a pen?
Yes. Drag a finger or a stylus over what you want to remove, just as with a mouse. To scroll a zoomed page with a finger, turn off Draw marks first. Add mark and the millimetre fields place a mark without dragging at all.
Can I check the result before downloading?
Yes. After Redact PDF the page view shows the redacted file itself, page by page, with Before and After to compare. The result panel says whether any text can still be found under your marks, and whether the phrases you searched for still appear in the file.
Is this reversible?
No. Redaction is permanent and irreversible. You tick a confirmation before Redact PDF can run, and Make changes takes you back to your marks before you download.
Can metadata also be removed?
Yes. Author, title and the other document-info fields are always cleared. The Full metadata strip option also removes the XMP metadata packet and any embedded file attachments.