Redact PDF: permanently black out text and areas

Drop a PDF here

or paste with ⌘V · up to 400 MB per file · stays on your device

Key facts

Price: Free, no sign-up, no watermark
Upload: Never: the file is processed on your device
Works on: Any recent browser on a computer, iPhone, iPad or Android
Files: Up to 400 MB per PDF on a computer, 150 MB on iPhone and iPad. Larger files depend on your device's memory.
Updated: October 3, 2026

A black rectangle drawn on top of a PDF can simply be removed, and the text under it copied. Real redaction deletes the content. Here, every page that carries a mark is redrawn as an image with the marked areas painted black, so nothing under the boxes remains in the file. Pages without marks are copied unchanged, and the new file starts without the original's metadata, attachments or scripts.

How it works

Drop the PDF.
Search for words to mark every match, drag boxes over other areas, or black out whole pages; check every page.
Select Redact PDF and download the redacted copy.

Supported files

Input: one PDF. Output: one PDF.

Up to 400 MB per PDF on a computer, 150 MB on iPhone and iPad. Larger files depend on your device's memory.

When to use it

Hide names, addresses and account numbers before sharing a document.
Publish a report without its confidential figures.
Send a contract or a statement with the personal data removed.

Quality and limitations

Redacted pages become images: their remaining text can no longer be selected or searched.
Search only finds real text; words inside images or scans must be boxed by hand.
Check every page: only what you marked is removed.

Common issues

Search didn't mark a word I can see.: It is probably part of an image (a scan or a logo). Draw a box over it.
A box is slightly off.: Remove it with its × button and draw it again; boxes found by search are padded a little.

Private by design

This tool runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. Your file is read and processed on your device and is never uploaded to a server. Closing the tab discards everything.

See how it works, step by step

Frequently asked questions

Is the redaction permanent?

Yes. The marked pages are rebuilt as images with the areas painted black; the original content there is not in the new file.

Is my document uploaded?

No. Redaction happens in your browser and the file never leaves your device.

What happens to the rest of the document?

Pages without marks are copied as they are. The document information (title, author…) is not carried over.

Redact a PDF