Redact PDF and Permanently Remove Sensitive Information

Securely black out text and images in your PDF before sharing. Our free online redaction tool permanently removes confidential data, right in your browser.

Open Redaction Tool How it works
Important: Just drawing a black box over text is not secure. True redaction permanently removes the underlying data.
Processed
+2,100,000 files
Rating
4.9/5 (2100+)

Redact PDF — Tool

Upload your PDF, then use the selection tool to mark the areas you want to permanently remove.

Your files are always private. The entire redaction process runs securely in your browser.

How to Redact a PDF — Step by Step

Permanently remove sensitive information from your document with these simple steps.

  1. Open the widget — click “Open Redaction Tool” or scroll to the tool on this page.
  2. Upload your PDF file — drag & drop your document or select it from your computer.
  3. Select areas to redact — use your mouse to draw boxes over the text, images, or areas you want to remove.
  4. Apply redaction — click the "Redact" button to permanently remove the selected content and replace it with black bars.
  5. Download Your Secured PDF — save your new, safely redacted document.

Common use cases

  • Removing personal identifiable information (PII) like names, addresses, and social security numbers.
  • Redacting confidential financial data from invoices or bank statements.
  • Sanitizing legal documents for public release by removing privileged information.
  • Hiding parts of a document to comply with privacy regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.

Why Use Our Free PDF Redaction Tool?

Our tool is designed for secure, permanent removal of data, with a focus on simplicity and privacy.

Privacy-First

All redaction happens in your browser. Your confidential files are never uploaded to any server.

Permanent Removal

Unlike simple annotations, our tool permanently removes the underlying text and image data, making it unrecoverable.

Simple Visual Tool

Just draw a box over the content you want to hide. It's an intuitive and easy way to ensure privacy.

Secure & Free

Get enterprise-grade, secure redaction for free with no software, sign-ups, or watermarks.

Important: True Redaction vs. Covering Up

  • Simply drawing a black box over text in a standard PDF editor is not secure. The underlying text can still be copied and pasted.
  • True redaction, which our tool performs, removes the actual data from the file. The black box you see is empty underneath.
  • Always use a dedicated redaction tool like this one for sensitive information to ensure permanent removal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to secure your document?

Open the tool, upload your PDF, and permanently remove sensitive information before you share. It's fast, private, and completely free.

Open the Redaction Tool