BYTETOOLS

Redact PDF

Real PDF redaction: drag black boxes over sensitive content and the pages are rebuilt as images, so the hidden text cannot be copied or recovered.

Drop a PDF here or click to browseCovered text is destroyed, not hidden — pages are rebuilt as images

What is the Redact PDF?

Drawing a black rectangle over text in most PDF editors hides nothing. The words are still in the file underneath the shape, and anyone can select them, copy them out, or read them with a text extractor.

  • True redaction — covered text is destroyed, not hidden
  • Drag as many boxes as you need on any page
  • Per-page undo and clear controls
  • Choice of output resolution from compact to archival
  • Rebuilt pages carry no text layer, so nothing can be copied out
  • Runs locally — the confidential file is never uploaded

How to use the Redact PDF

  1. 1

    Drop the PDF onto the upload area and wait for the first page to render.

  2. 2

    Drag across the page to cover anything confidential. Use Undo box or Clear page if you misplace one, and step through the document with Previous and Next page.

  3. 3

    Repeat on every page that needs redacting — the counter at the top shows how many boxes you have drawn in total.

  4. 4

    Pick an output resolution: 150 DPI is fine for reading, 300 DPI for archival quality and larger files.

  5. 5

    Click Redact & Rebuild PDF, check the result, then download it.

About the Redact PDF

Drawing a black rectangle over text in most PDF editors hides nothing. The words are still in the file underneath the shape, and anyone can select them, copy them out, or read them with a text extractor. This has embarrassed governments, law firms and newspapers more than once.

This tool redacts properly. You drag boxes over whatever should disappear, and the document is then rebuilt from rendered page images with those areas painted in before the image is made. The original text objects are not covered up — they are gone from the output file entirely.

Everything runs in your browser with pdfjs and pdf-lib, so the confidential document you are about to redact is never uploaded. The trade-off is that the result is a picture of your document: it will no longer be searchable or selectable, which is exactly what makes the redaction safe.

Frequently asked questions

Why is drawing a black box in a PDF editor not enough?

A drawn shape is just another object on top of the page. The text underneath is still in the file and can be selected, copied or extracted by anyone with basic tools. Real redaction has to remove the underlying content.

Can the redacted text be recovered from the output file?

No. The output pages are images with the redacted areas painted in before the image is encoded, so there is no text layer left to recover. Always give the result a quick read before sharing it.

Will my PDF still be searchable after redaction?

No, and that is deliberate. Because each page becomes an image, no text can be selected or searched — including the text you kept. Keep your unredacted original if you need a searchable copy.

Does redacting remove metadata too?

The rebuilt file is a fresh document, so the original document properties and any annotations are not carried over. It is still worth checking the result with a metadata viewer before you release it.

Is the file uploaded to redact it?

No. Rendering and rebuilding both happen in your browser, so the document stays on your machine throughout.

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