About this tool
Redact text or images in a PDF by permanently blacking them out before sharing. Critical for sharing contracts with sensitive figures, sending court documents with personal information removed, or anonymising scans before publication. Unlike highlight-style annotations, redaction destroys the underlying content — the redacted areas can't be revealed by selecting or copying.
When to use it
- Removing names, addresses, or account numbers from a document before sharing
- Anonymising court records, medical reports, or contracts for publication
- Redacting confidential figures from a financial document before circulating
- Hiding personally-identifying information in a scan before sending
- Producing a public-safe version of an internal document
What to expect
Redaction permanently overwrites the redacted area with a solid block — both visually and in the underlying PDF data. Unlike a black highlight annotation (which can be removed to reveal the original), this is destructive. Always work on a copy, never the original.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone reveal redacted content by selecting the text?
No. True redaction (which this tool performs) overwrites the underlying content. Highlighting or covering text with a black box that doesn't replace the underlying data — common in some tools — can be undone by the recipient. Ours can't.
Are PDF metadata fields also redacted?
On-page redaction removes visible content. PDF document metadata (title, author, custom fields) is separate — clear those manually before sharing if they may contain sensitive information.
Should I keep the original?
Yes. Redaction is permanent. Keep the un-redacted original somewhere secure (an encrypted drive, an access-controlled folder), and only share the redacted copy.