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Redact PDF

Cover ID numbers, addresses or amounts with a black box, and what's underneath is removed from the file. Your PDF never leaves your device.

One PDF up to 50 MB and 500 pages.

Redaction really deletes

A page with a black box becomes an image with the box drawn in: what was underneath is removed from the file, so nobody can copy or search it. Check the PDF before sending it.

Your file never leaves your device: everything happens in the browser, with no upload to any server.

How to redact a PDF in 3 steps

  1. Choose the PDF

    Tap Choose PDF and pick the file. The first page shows on screen.

  2. Cover the data

    Tap Black box, drag it over the ID number, address or amount and pull the dot in the corner until it covers everything.

  3. Redact and download

    Keep Truly delete what’s under the boxes checked, tap Redact and save PDF, then Download PDF. The file ends with “-redacted” in its name.

What you can hide

  • ID and tax numbers before sending a contract, a receipt or a bill.
  • Addresses and phone numbers that don’t need to be on the copy.
  • Amounts and salaries on a pay stub, statement or quote.
  • Account and card numbers and signatures, when the copy goes to someone who shouldn’t see them.

Redaction that really deletes

Drawing a rectangle on top isn’t enough: the text is still in the file, and anyone can copy the number by selecting the area. Here, a page with a box becomes an image with the box drawn in, and the text, images and fields underneath are removed from the file. That’s why the page no longer has selectable text. Pages without a box stay as they are.

Check before you send it

Open the downloaded PDF and make sure each piece of data is covered, including headers, footers and other copies. A number left outside the box is still there.

Your file never leaves your device

The PDF is opened, redacted and saved in your browser, in your phone’s or computer’s memory. No file goes through our server.

Limits

One PDF up to 50 MB and 500 pages, with up to 100 boxes. Each redacted page becomes a 150 dpi image.

Other PDF tools

To type on the PDF as well as hide things, use edit PDF. To mark the copy with “COPY” or “FOR THE BANK ONLY”, use add watermark. To sign, use sign PDF. If the file gets big, compress the PDF.

Frequently asked questions

How do I hide an ID number in a PDF?

Choose the PDF, go to the page with the arrows and tap Black box. Drag it over the number and pull the dot in the corner until it covers everything. Keep Truly delete what’s under the boxes checked and tap Redact and save PDF.

Does the black box really delete, or just cover?

It deletes. A page with a black box becomes an image with the box drawn in, and the text, images and form fields it had are removed from the file. Whoever gets the PDF can’t copy, search or read what was underneath, not even with software.

Why can't I select text on the redacted page anymore?

Because it became an image: that’s how the data underneath really goes away. Pages without a box stay as they are, with selectable text.

How is this different from edit PDF?

Edit PDF is for typing and covering, and its boxes can also truly delete, with the same option. Here the screen starts with the black box, for when you only want to hide data.

Can I use a white box instead of a black one?

Yes. Tap White box: the data is removed the same way, with blank space in its place. The black box makes it clear to the reader that something was hidden there.

Can I redact several pages?

Yes. Go to each page with the arrows and add the boxes. Up to 100 in the whole PDF. Only pages with a box become images.

Does the file get bigger?

A little: each redacted page becomes a 150 dpi image, usually 200 to 500 KB. If you need it smaller afterwards, use compress PDF.

Does it work with scanned documents?

Yes. In a scanned PDF the page is already a photo: the box covers the data, and the page comes out as a new image without what was underneath.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The PDF is opened, redacted and saved in your browser. It never leaves your device, and we never see what you hid.

Is there a limit?

One PDF up to 50 MB and 500 pages, with up to 100 boxes. Only the page on screen is drawn, so your phone doesn’t freeze.

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