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Free PDF Redactor

Black out sensitive text in a PDF for good. Pages are flattened to images so the hidden content is permanently destroyed — not just covered. Runs entirely in your browser.

A black box drawn over text often leaves it selectable underneath — here pages are flattened, so the text is destroyed, not covered.

Drop a file here, or click to browse

PDF · processed on your device

or press Ctrl+V to paste from your clipboard

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Your files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.

Draw black boxes over anything you want hidden. On export, each page with a box is flattened to an image with the boxes burned into the pixels — so the redacted text is physically destroyed, not just covered. Pages without boxes are kept as they were. Unlike most free tools, the hidden content can't be copied back or recovered. Everything runs in your browser.

Common uses

  • Redact a Legal DocumentBlack out privileged or confidential text in contracts and filings — permanently.
  • Black Out Personal InformationHide your address, ID numbers, and signature before sharing a document.
  • Redact a Bank StatementHide account numbers and balances on a statement you need to submit.
  • Redact Medical RecordsRemove patient identifiers from medical PDFs before sharing them.
  • Redact Documents to Protect SourcesPermanently hide identifying details before publishing leaked documents.

How It Works

Most free "redaction" tools just draw a black rectangle on top of the text — but the text is still in the file underneath and can be copied or recovered, which has caused real-world data leaks. This redactor does it properly: it destroys the hidden content.

  1. 1
    Your PDF is rendered in the browser
    pdf.js renders each page to an image so you can see and mark it. The file is read into memory locally — never uploaded.
  2. 2
    You draw boxes over what to hide
    Drag to draw a black box over any text, signature, or image you want gone. Boxes can be removed with a tap.
  3. 3
    Each page is flattened to an image
    On export, every page is re-rendered to a high-resolution image with the black boxes burned into the pixels, then assembled into a new PDF with pdf-lib. The original text layer is discarded entirely.
  4. 4
    You download the redacted PDF
    Because the output is image-based, the hidden content is physically gone — it cannot be selected, searched, or recovered.

Safe redaction is exactly the kind of task you should never upload. Everything happens on your device — ideal for lawyers, journalists, HR, and anyone sharing contracts, statements, or records. The trade-off: the exported PDF's text is no longer selectable, which is the price of guaranteed redaction.

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Frequently Asked Questions