Redact a PDF

How it works

Upload a PDF and each page appears as a preview. Drag across anything you want removed — a name, an account number, a whole paragraph — and a black box appears. Add as many as you need, on as many pages as you need, then download. Every page you drew on is re-rendered as a flat image with the boxes painted in, which is what permanently destroys the text underneath rather than simply covering it. Pages you never touched are copied across untouched, so they keep their original text and stay searchable. The whole process runs in your browser using pdf.js and pdf-lib — the document is never uploaded.

When to use this

• Removing account numbers, salaries, or addresses before sharing a statement or contract
• Sending a document to a client or opposing party with privileged sections removed
• Publishing a record, filing, or report that has to have personal details stripped first
• Stripping identifying information from a case file, medical form, or HR document
• Cleaning up a scanned document before posting it publicly or attaching it to a filing

Common mistakes

• Assuming a black box in a PDF editor is redaction. Drawing a filled rectangle in most editors leaves the text sitting underneath, fully selectable and copyable. This tool flattens the page instead, which is what actually removes it.
• Forgetting that redacted pages stop being searchable. Flattening is what destroys the text, so those pages become images. Pages you don't redact keep their text.
• Leaving the same detail visible elsewhere. A name blacked out on page 3 is still exposed if it appears in a header on page 7. Page through the whole document before downloading.
• Overlooking the file's metadata. Redaction covers page content, not document properties. If the author name or title carries something sensitive, handle that separately.
• Drawing the box too tight. Leave a little margin around the text — descenders and italics often extend further than they look.