Redact PDF
Protect confidential information by permanently removing private details from PDF documents and scans.
Drop a PDF here
Open one document and carefully review every redaction before applying it.
Your PDF is processed locally in your browser and is not uploaded.
How to use Redact PDF
- 1
Click Choose PDF file or drag and drop a PDF into the upload area. The document opens in the editor with page thumbnails, navigation controls, and a preview of the selected page.
- 2
Choose how to identify confidential content. Select Mark area and drag across the page to create a redaction box over text, images, signatures, or other private details. Alternatively, select Search text, enter a word or phrase, and choose Current page or All pages. Use Match case and Whole words only to refine the search. Check the results you want to remove and click Mark selected results.
- 3
Inspect the marked regions before making permanent changes. Select a redaction box to move or resize it, or remove an incorrect mark from the Redactions list. Use Undo, Redo, Clear current page, or Clear all when necessary. Under Appearance, choose a black, white, or custom fill color. Enable Add overlay text if you want replacement wording, such as REDACTED, to appear inside the marked areas.
- 4
Review the export settings. Remove hidden information is enabled by default and removes supported metadata, annotations, form fields, embedded-file references, and document actions. Under Output quality, select 150 DPI — Smaller file, 200 DPI — Balanced, or 300 DPI — High quality. Pages containing redactions will be converted into images, so their original text will no longer be selectable or searchable.
- 5
Click Apply redactions, review the confirmation dialog, and confirm the operation. The tool permanently removes the marked content from the generated document and verifies the result. Click Download PDF to save a separate file with the -redacted.pdf suffix. Use Start over if you need to return to the original document.
Frequently asked questions
About Redact PDF
Black rectangles can make confidential information disappear from view without actually removing it from a PDF. If the underlying text, images, or other document objects remain intact, specialized software may still be able to retrieve them. Redact PDF addresses that risk by rebuilding affected pages with the marked information removed from their underlying content.
The editor provides two ways to identify information that should not be shared. Manual area marking works with ordinary documents, scanned pages, photographs, handwritten information, and other visible content. Text search is useful when the same name, identification number, or confidential phrase appears in several places. Search results can be reviewed individually, helping you avoid removing legitimate references unnecessarily.
Before applying changes, you can inspect every marked region, adjust its boundaries, and choose how the final redactions should appear. Black bars offer an unmistakable visual indication that content has been removed, while white or custom-colored areas can suit different document layouts. Optional overlay text allows you to identify the nature of a removal without revealing the original information.
The permanent redaction process deliberately prioritizes information removal over preserving editability. Pages containing redactions are reconstructed as images at the selected output resolution, eliminating their original searchable text and other underlying page objects. Unaffected pages are copied without this conversion. An additional cleanup option removes supported hidden document information, including metadata and interactive elements.
This approach is particularly relevant when preparing contracts for external review, releasing records with personal identifiers, or sharing documents containing private financial details. Because redaction cannot determine which information should remain confidential, careful human review is essential.
Processing takes place locally in your browser, and the source PDF remains unchanged. The exported document should always be checked before publication or distribution, especially when the consequences of disclosing overlooked information could be significant.