Redact PDF
Redact PDF removes what is under the boxes you mark — text, image pixels and form fields — from the file itself, then draws the box. Draw them by hand, search for a phrase, or find every email, card number and ID in one go.
- Input
- One PDF
- Output
- One PDF with the marked areas removed
- Runs
- In your browser. The file never leaves your device.
- Cost
- Free. No sign-up, no watermark.
How to redact a PDF
Choose a PDF
Select the document. It is shown page by page in your browser.
Mark what to remove
Drag on a page to draw a box, or search: type a phrase, tick kinds of personal data such as emails and card numbers, or write a pattern. Move, resize or delete any box until each one covers exactly what you want gone.
Redact and download
Pick black or white boxes and redact. Open the result and check it before you share it.
Removed from the file, not just covered
Real removal
The text under a box is deleted from the page, and the original content is dropped from the saved file, so it cannot be selected, copied or dug out of the bytes.
Search and mark
Find every occurrence of a name, account number or phrase and see each one boxed before anything is removed.
Personal data in one click
Mark every email address, phone number, payment card number, IBAN, IP address, web address, date, US Social Security number, UK National Insurance number, or Indian PAN and Aadhaar number. Numbers with a check digit are only marked when the digit is right.
Your own pattern
Write a regular expression such as INV-\d{6} to mark every invoice number, reference or ID that follows a format.
Check every box
Every box, drawn or found, sits on the page where you can move, resize or delete it before you redact.
Links and fields too
Links, comments and form fields under a box are removed with the text.
Frequently asked questions
Is the text really deleted, or just hidden under a black box?
Deleted. The text under each box is removed from the page content and the original is pruned from the saved file. A box laid over text that is still in the file would not be a redaction.
What does not get redacted?
Only the content of the pages you mark, unless you choose otherwise. Bookmarks, document properties such as title and author, and attached files are separate from the pages, so they are left alone by default. Use "Also clear from the file" to remove the properties and bookmarks, or everything including attachments, in the same step.
Can it find emails, card numbers and other personal data for me?
Yes. Choose "Personal and financial data", tick the kinds you want, and every match is boxed on the page. These find candidates, not certainties: a number that looks like a phone number may be something else, so check each box. Card, IBAN and Aadhaar numbers are only marked when their check digit is correct, which keeps invoice and reference numbers out.
Can I search with a regular expression?
Yes. Choose "A pattern" and write a JavaScript regular expression, for example INV-\d{6}. A pattern that cannot be read, or that would match an empty string and so mark everything, is refused with a message. The pattern runs on the page text in your browser, and text that wraps onto another line is not matched across the break.
Can it redact text inside a scanned page?
Searching cannot read a picture of text, so run OCR PDF first or draw the boxes by hand. An image under a box is cut where the box is, or removed whole when it cannot be cut cleanly.
Can the redaction be undone?
Not in the file you download, which is the point. Keep the original if you may need it, and share only the redacted copy.
Is the file uploaded anywhere?
No. The document is redacted in your browser and never sent to a server.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?
Searching cannot read a picture of text, so run OCR PDF first to make it searchable, or draw the boxes by hand. Check the result, since recognition can miss a word.
Does redacting remove the document's title, author and other properties?
Not unless you ask. They are separate from the pages, so choose "Document properties and bookmarks" under "Also clear from the file" and they are removed in the same step. You can also check them afterwards in Edit PDF Metadata, and consider Protect PDF if the file will be shared.
Is a black box drawn over text the same as redaction?
No. A box laid over text leaves the text in the file, where it can be selected and copied. This tool removes the text under the box, then draws the box.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Redact PDF runs entirely in your browser: the file is opened and processed on your own device and is never sent to our server. More in the privacy policy.
Is Redact PDF free to use?
Yes. Redact PDF is free, with no account to create and no software to install — open the page in a modern browser and start.