Black Out Text in a PDF
Drag over anything you want hidden — an account number, an address, a whole paragraph. The text underneath is destroyed, not just covered with a black box.
How to Black Out Text in a PDF
Drop in a PDF and every page appears as a preview. Drag across anything you want gone — an account number, a name, an address, a whole paragraph — and a black box covers it. Add as many as you need, across as many pages as you need, then download the finished file.
Here's the part that matters. Every page you drew on is re-rendered as a flat image with the boxes painted in, so the text underneath is destroyed rather than covered. That's the difference between this and drawing a black rectangle in Preview on a Mac or in a PDF editor, where the words are still sitting in the file and can be selected and copied straight back out. Pages you never touched are copied across intact and keep their original text.
All of it happens in your browser using pdf.js and pdf-lib. Your document is never uploaded, which matters more than usual when the thing you're blacking out is a bank statement or a tax return.
When to Black Out Part of a Document
- A bank statement for a landlord, lender, or visa office. Black out the account number, the routing number, and transactions that aren't relevant — but leave your name, address, and the statement date visible, since that's usually what they actually need to see.
- A pay stub or tax return used as proof of income. The Social Security number has to go; the figures have to stay.
- A contract going to a client or the other side, with pricing or privileged sections removed.
- A medical record or HR file that needs names and identifying details stripped before it's shared or filed.
- A scanned document you're about to post publicly or attach to a court filing.
Mistakes That Leave the Text Recoverable
- Drawing a black box in a PDF editor and calling it done. A filled rectangle in Preview, Acrobat, or most editors is just a shape sitting on top. The text is still underneath, and anyone can select it, copy it, or see through the redaction by pasting it elsewhere. This tool flattens the page instead, which is what actually removes it.
- Blacking out more than you needed to. If a landlord or lender asked for proof of address, they still need to see your name, your address, and the date. Hide the account number and the transactions, not the parts that prove what you're proving.
- Leaving the same detail visible somewhere else. A name blacked out on page 3 is still exposed if it's in a header on page 7. Page through the whole document before you download.
- Forgetting that blacked-out pages stop being searchable. Flattening is what destroys the text, so those pages become images. Pages you don't touch keep their text.
- Overlooking the file's own properties. Blacking out page content doesn't touch document metadata. If the author name or title carries something sensitive, handle that separately.
- Drawing the box too tight. Leave a little margin — descenders and italics reach further than they look.