Redact Sensitive PDF Content
Permanently black out sensitive text or images in a PDF free online, before sharing the document.
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Simply drawing a black box over text in a PDF viewer doesn't actually remove it — the original text is often still selectable underneath. Proper redaction permanently deletes the covered content from the file, not just visually hides it.
Mark the areas you want redacted, and this tool removes that content entirely from the underlying document, so it can't be recovered by copying, searching, or opening the file in another program.
How to redact sensitive pdf content
Upload your PDF
Choose the document containing content you need to redact.
Mark what to redact
Draw a box over each piece of text or image you want permanently removed.
Download the redacted file
The marked content is deleted from the file, and the finished PDF is ready to download.
Common ways people use this tool
Legal teams redact a client's personal details from a document before it's filed publicly. HR departments redact salary figures from an internal report before sharing a summary more broadly.
Healthcare administrators redact patient identifiers from a case study document before using it for training, and journalists redact a source's identifying details from a leaked document before publication.
A quick tip
Double-check by searching the downloaded PDF for the redacted text afterward — a properly redacted file should return no results, confirming the content was actually removed rather than just covered.
Related tools
Pair this with another tool to finish the job.
Frequently asked questions
Is redacted content actually removed, or just hidden visually?
It's genuinely removed from the file — the underlying text or image data no longer exists in the document.
Can I redact an image, not just text?
Yes, you can mark any area of a page, including images, for redaction.
Can I undo a redaction before downloading?
Yes, you can adjust or remove redaction marks at any point before finalizing the file.
Does redaction work on scanned documents?
Yes, since redaction removes the marked region of the page itself, it works on both text-based and scanned PDFs.
Will the redacted areas be visible as black boxes?
Yes, redacted areas appear as solid black boxes in the final document, clearly indicating removed content.