What it does. Hides sensitive text or areas in a PDF behind solid black boxes. Draw the boxes yourself, or find words, emails, phone numbers and long numbers and mark them in one go.
How to redact a PDF
- Drop your PDF onto the box.
- Drag on the page to cover an area, or use Find and mark text to mark matches on every page.
- Look through the pages and remove any box you do not want.
- Press Apply redaction and download the file.
Tips for better results
- Check every page after marking. Automatic matches can miss text that is split across lines.
- Keep your original file. Redaction cannot be undone on the new file.
- Use 200 DPI for a good balance, or 300 DPI if the pages will be printed.
Limits to know about
- Pages with boxes are redrawn as pictures, so the covered text is truly gone. Those pages lose their selectable text.
- Find and mark only works on PDFs that contain real text. For scans, draw the boxes by hand.
- Always open the result and check it yourself before sharing it.
- Tested with generated sample PDFs. Check the result on your own file.
Privacy
Your file never leaves your device. It is processed inside your browser, and nothing is uploaded to our servers. The PDF libraries load from a public code network (cdnjs).
Frequently asked questions
Is the hidden text really removed?
Yes. Pages with redactions are rebuilt as images with black boxes burned in, so the text underneath is not stored in the new file.
Why is my file bigger now?
Redacted pages become pictures. Lower the quality setting to make the file smaller.
Can it find a name on every page?
Yes, type the word and press Find and mark. It marks each match it can see in the text.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
You can draw boxes on a scan. Automatic search needs real text, so it will not find words in a picture.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The work happens in your browser.
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About this tool: free, no sign-up, works on phone and desktop. Last reviewed: November 2026.