Redact PDF
Black out names, numbers and other details so the text underneath is removed, not just hidden under a box.
- 1 Choose files
- 2 Adjust
- 3 Download
or drag and drop here
PDF · 30 MBProcessed on this device. Your files are never uploaded.
- ✓ Free
- ✓ No account
- ✓ Files stay on your device
Prove it’s private
This panel counts the network requests this page makes after you choose a file, and how much each one sends. Your file is read and changed on this device. Our code never sends it anywhere.
- Requests since you chose a file –
- To pdfreadygo.com, for tool code and fonts –
- To ad and analytics services –
- Requests that sent a file or binary data –
- Most data sent in one request –
Ads and analytics can keep making small requests while you work, and they are counted above. Compare the largest one with the size of your file.
Before you chose a file, this page made 0 requests to load itself, its ads and its analytics. This counter can’t see inside ad frames, and ad frames can’t read your file. It also doesn’t list the tool’s background workers, which only load code from this site.
Test it yourself with airplane mode
- Open this page while you are online and wait a few seconds, so it can save itself for offline use.
- Turn on airplane mode, or turn off Wi-Fi and mobile data.
- Choose your file and run the tool. It still works, because nothing has to be sent.
A few extras, such as the HEIC photo decoder, are only saved after you first use them. Offline, they show an error instead of sending anything.
In many PDF editors, a black rectangle only covers the text. Anyone can still copy it, search for it or move the rectangle away. This tool saves each page that has a box as an image with the box painted in, so the covered text is no longer in the file. It then opens the new file and checks that the words you searched for are gone.
Good to know before you begin
Pages with boxes become images, so their text can’t be selected, searched or read aloud by a screen reader, and the file may get larger. Pages without boxes keep their text. Comments, form fields, attachments, bookmarks and document properties are removed from the whole file, so if you need what was typed in a form, use Flatten PDF first. Check every page before you share the file: Find and mark only finds text the PDF stores as text, not words inside scanned images.
How to redact a PDF
- Select Choose a PDF, or drag your file onto the box. A preview of every page appears.
- To black out a word or number everywhere, type it in Find text to redact and select Find and mark.
- To black out anything else, drag on a page to draw a box. Each box gets a number, and its × button under the page removes it. On a phone, tick Draw boxes by dragging on a page first, and untick it to scroll.
- Pick an Image quality for redacted pages. 200 DPI suits most documents.
- Select Redact PDF →, read the check under Your file is ready., then select Download result ↓.
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The PDF is read, redacted and saved in your browser on your own device. You can check this with the Prove it’s private panel above.
Why are redacted pages saved as images?
Removing only the words under a box from a PDF is hard to get right, and mistakes leave text behind. A page image with the box painted in leaves no text to recover.
Can someone remove the black boxes?
No. The boxes are part of the page image, and the covered text is not in the file anymore.
How do I know it worked?
After saving, the tool opens the new file and searches its text for each word you marked. The line under Your file is ready. tells you what it found. You can also open the file and try to select or search the text.
Does it work on scanned documents?
Yes, with boxes. Find and mark only works on text the PDF stores as text, so draw boxes over words in scans.
What else is removed?
Comments, form fields, attachments, bookmarks, document properties, XMP metadata and hidden layers. To remove hidden data without changing any pages, use Remove hidden data.
Having trouble? Read the FAQ or visit help and contact.