Redact PDF

Permanently delete content under a redaction box — not just draw over it.

Choose PDF file or drop it anywhere on this page PDF Processed on your device — never uploaded

This tool does its work with JavaScript in your own browser — that is exactly why your files never get uploaded. Please enable JavaScript to use it.

How to redact pdf

Open the PDF and draw boxes over the content to be removed.
Review the marked areas — the actual content beneath is still visible at this stage.
Apply to permanently delete the underlying content and download the redacted file.

About this tool

The most dangerous PDF redaction mistake is covering text with a black rectangle without deleting it. This has caused real embarrassment and legal liability for organisations that published "redacted" documents where the sensitive text was trivially recoverable by selecting and copying it. The black box was just paint on top of the data.

This tool takes a different approach: it parses the PDF content stream and removes the text characters and image data that fall within each redaction area. After applying, there is no underlying layer to recover. The redaction fill is cosmetic at that point — the content it covers does not exist in the file.

Because your document is processed in your browser and never uploaded, the sensitive content you are redacting does not pass through any server. That is particularly relevant here, where the whole point is that certain information should not be visible to unauthorised parties.

Questions

What is the difference between this and just drawing a black rectangle?

Drawing a black rectangle in most PDF editors — including popular ones — adds a filled rectangle on top of the content. The text underneath is still in the file and can be extracted by copying text, running the file through a text extractor, or removing the annotation layer. This tool actually deletes the content stream elements in the selected areas. The text and image data are gone, not hidden.

Can redacted content be recovered?

Not from the output file. Proper redaction removes the content from the PDF data structures; there is no layer to remove or image to decode. The caveat is PDF XObjects and form contents that are shared across pages — this tool handles that correctly by making private copies of shared objects before removing the relevant portions.

Should I also strip metadata?

Usually yes. The document metadata can contain an author name, the original file path, comments, and revision history that may be sensitive. The option is on by default. Also consider whether the redacted information appears elsewhere in the document — in a header, a footnote, or an index — that would also need covering.

Is this appropriate for classified or legal redaction?

For legal discovery, official government redaction, and any context with formal compliance requirements, you should verify the output with a PDF text extractor before relying on it, and ideally use a certified redaction tool with an audit trail. This tool performs genuine content deletion, but the implementation should be validated for your specific risk level.

Redact PDF

How to redact pdf

About this tool

Questions

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