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Redact PDF
Black out text in a PDF for good: boxes are burned into page images, so nothing hidden stays underneath.
Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you type, open or create is uploaded to NerdBible or anyone else.
1. Mark what to hide
Drag across the page to draw a box. Click a box to select it; drag it to move it and drag its corner to resize it. With a keyboard, use Add a box, then the arrow keys to move it, Shift with the arrows to resize it, and Delete to remove it.
2. Make the redacted copy
Why the result is pictures of pages: drawing a black rectangle over text in a normal PDF editor often leaves the text underneath, where anyone can select, copy or search it. This tool instead turns every page into an image with the boxes painted in, and builds a new PDF from those images. The hidden text is not in the new file at all. The trade-off is deliberate: the new PDF has no selectable or searchable text, no links, form fields, bookmarks, attachments or metadata, and it can be larger than the original. Keep your original somewhere safe, and check the result before you send it.
How to use it
- Choose or drop the PDF.
- Draw boxes over anything you want hidden, or use Find and box to cover every match of a word, a name, email addresses, phone numbers or long numbers.
- Check every page with the arrows, adjust or remove boxes, then pick the quality.
- Press Redact and download. The new PDF is made of page images with the boxes burned in.
Questions
Is the redacted text really gone?
Yes. Each page is rendered to an image, the black boxes are painted onto that image, and only the images go into the new PDF. No text layer, hidden or otherwise, is copied across. After saving, the tool reads the new file back and reports how much selectable text it found, which should be none.
Why can I no longer select or search the text?
Because the pages are now images. That is what makes the redaction safe. If you need searchable text, run optical character recognition on the redacted copy afterwards; it can only read what is still visible.
Does Find and box catch everything?
It finds text that the PDF stores as text. Scanned pages, text inside images and some unusual fonts have no readable text, so nothing is found there. Always look through every page and draw boxes by hand where needed.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The file is opened, rendered and rebuilt in your browser. Nothing is sent to NerdBible or anyone else.
Which quality should I choose?
150 dpi is clear on screen and keeps files moderate. Choose 200 or 300 dpi if the document will be printed or has small print. JPEG keeps the file smaller; PNG keeps text edges crisper and is larger.
About this tool
About PDF redaction
Putting a black rectangle over text in an ordinary PDF editor often hides it only on screen. The text underneath is still in the file, and anyone can select, copy or search it. This tool redacts properly: it removes the text layer altogether.
How it works
Draw boxes over what must be hidden, or let the tool find it for you. When you save, every page is rendered to an image, the boxes are painted onto that image, and a new PDF is built from the images alone. The new file is then read back and checked for any selectable text.
Finding what to hide
- Any word or phrase, such as a name, an address or a reference number, on every page at once.
- Email addresses, phone numbers and long numbers such as account or card numbers.
Search works on text the PDF stores as text. Scanned pages have none, so check every page and draw boxes by hand where needed.
The trade-off
Because pages become images, the redacted copy has no selectable text, links, form fields or metadata, and it may be larger than the original. That is what makes it safe to share. Choose 150 dpi for screens or up to 300 dpi for print. Your PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded.
Related tools
- Image RedactionBlack out or blur parts of a screenshot.
- PDF Metadata EditorView and change title, author and other properties.
- Compress PDFMake a PDF smaller by lowering its image quality.
- Word Document CleanerRemove author names, comments and tracked changes from a .docx before you send it.
- PDF to ImagesTurn every page of a PDF into a PNG or JPG.