Redact a PDF — Permanently Remove Sensitive Info

Black out names, numbers, and confidential text so it can never be copied or recovered. Free, and entirely in your browser.

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Black out names, numbers, and confidential details in a PDF so they are permanently removed — not just covered. Draw a bar over what you want gone, download the file, and the content underneath is truly deleted: nothing left to select, copy, or recover. It all happens in your browser.

Why drawing a black box isn't enough

A PDF stores text in a layer that's separate from how the page looks. When you place a black rectangle over a word with an ordinary drawing or whiteout tool, you're only adding a shape on top of the text — the original words stay in the file and can be selected, copied, or extracted programmatically. This is exactly how several well-known legal and government documents leaked the very information they meant to hide.

Who uses the redaction tool

Legal documents: black out party names or case numbers before sharing a public copy.
Financial records: hide account numbers or salaries on statements and invoices.
Medical & ID records: remove ID numbers, dates of birth, or insurance details.
HR & recruiting: redact personal information from résumés before passing them around.

Redact a PDF in 4 steps

1. Open the editor and upload your PDF.
2. Pick the Redact tool from the side tool rail.
3. Drag a bar over each sensitive area (or press Ctrl+F, search for a name, and choose "Redact all matches" to black out every instance at once).
4. Download — the content beneath the bars is permanently removed.

Frequently asked questions

Is the text really removed, or just covered?

Really removed. On download, every page containing a redaction is flattened to an image with no text layer at all, so there is nothing underneath the bar left to select or copy.

Can I redact every instance of a name at once?

Yes — press Ctrl+F, search for the name, then choose "Redact all matches". Bars are placed on every match across the whole document in one click.

Does text on the other pages stay selectable?

Yes — only pages that contain a redaction are flattened. Every other page keeps its selectable, searchable text.

What if my file is a scan?

Redaction works on images too: draw the bar over the area and the pixels underneath are removed.

Are my files uploaded?

No — redaction runs entirely in your browser; your document never leaves your device. That matters especially here, because the files you need to redact are usually your most confidential ones.