Redact PDF
Permanently black out sensitive content — safely.
A redacted page is turned into a flattened image so nothing can be recovered from underneath the black box — not the same as drawing a black box over live text, which can still be selected and copied. That means the redacted page's text is no longer selectable or searchable afterwards. Pages you don't mark are left completely untouched.
Black out sensitive information the way it actually needs to be done: the page is flattened to an image with the black box painted directly onto it, so there is nothing hidden underneath left to select, copy or extract. Read the notice above before using this on anything sensitive.
How to use it
- Add the PDF and move to the page with sensitive content.
- Drag a box over each area to remove.
- Press Redact and download the result.
Why use this tool
Completely private
Everything runs inside your browser. Your files and text are never sent to a server.
Free, with no limits
No sign-up, no watermarks and no cap on how many times you can use it.
Instant results
There is no upload or queue to wait for, so results appear as fast as your device can work.
Works on any device
Runs in any modern browser on phone, tablet or desktop. Nothing to install.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this actually safe, or just a black box on top?
- It's the real thing. A black box drawn on top of live text — which is what many quick tools do — still leaves that text selectable and copyable underneath. This instead turns the whole redacted page into a flattened image before anything is saved, so there is no text layer left behind the box at all.
- What's the trade-off?
- A redacted page's text is no longer selectable or searchable afterwards, because it is no longer text — it's a picture of the page with the sensitive area removed. That is the honest cost of doing this safely, not a limitation to work around.
- What happens to pages I don't mark?
- Nothing at all. Only pages with at least one redaction box are touched; every other page keeps its real, original text.
- Can I undo a redaction after downloading?
- No — once applied and downloaded, it's permanent, by design. Double-check every box before pressing Redact, and keep your original file if you might need the removed content again.