Redact PDF
Black out sensitive text for good.
Documents stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
About Redact PDF
Redact PDF blacks out names, bank numbers, addresses, or any sensitive passage before a document leaves your hands. The usual shortcut, drawing a black rectangle in a normal PDF editor, is dangerous: the ink sits on top of the text but the text itself stays inside the file, and anyone who copies and pastes the area, or opens the document in a text extractor, reads everything you meant to hide. That is exactly how redacted court filings keep leaking. This tool offers two explicit modes so the choice is yours. Safe flatten re-renders every page as an image with your black boxes burned in, destroying the text layer underneath; what looks hidden is genuinely gone. Black boxes only is quicker and keeps the rest of the document searchable, and the tool labels it clearly as not secure. Everything happens in your browser: the file never travels to a server.
How to Use Redact PDF
Open your PDF
Drop the document into the upload area. Pages render in the browser through the same engine that powers the viewing tools, so locked scanning layouts, stamps, and mixed page sizes all display as they will print.
Draw boxes over the sensitive parts
Drag with the mouse or finger to draw a black box over each name, number, or paragraph you want hidden. Right click a box to delete it, use Undo for the last one, or Clear page to start over. Move between pages with the arrows.
Pick an export mode
Safe flatten turns pages into images so hidden text is destroyed; use it for contracts, court papers, ID scans, and anything legal. Black boxes only keeps the file searchable but leaves covered text technically present; use it for drafts where speed matters.
Download and verify
Save the result and, for serious documents, verify it: open the redacted file, try to select the blacked out area, and run it through a text extractor. In Safe flatten mode there is nothing left to find.
Why Use Redact PDF: Common Use Cases
Sharing contracts and court documents
Send a settlement or judgment to a counterparty with third party names, account numbers, and personal identifiers destroyed rather than merely covered.
Bank and tax paperwork
Strip account numbers and balances from statements you attach to rental applications, visa files, or complaints, while keeping the letterhead and layout intact for proof.
Internal reviews before release
Publish policies or reports externally after removing salaries, phone numbers, and internal notes, and let the flattened output guarantee nothing leaks through copy and paste.
Scanned ID cards and certificates
Redact a citizen ID number on a scan you must submit, safe in the knowledge the flattened image contains no hidden text layer at all.
Redact PDF Specifications
| Input Formats | |
|---|---|
| Output Formats | PDF (flattened images), PDF (boxes only) |
| File Size Limit | No strict limit (dependent on device memory) |
| Processing Engine | 100% Client-side (Runs locally in your browser) |
| Data Retention | Files never leave your device |
| Batch Processing | Single file processing |
Tips for Redact PDF
Always prefer Safe flatten when the document will leave your control; a black box drawn over text can be lifted with ordinary copy and paste.
Zoom in when boxing small print such as account digits so no sliver of a character remains visible at the box edge.
After redacting, run the result through Extract Text yourself as a self check: Safe flatten output should return no text at all.
Need to protect the whole file instead of parts of it? Add a password with Protect PDF.
If the original is a scan you also need to edit, clean it up first with OCR PDF and then redact the searchable version.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the two export modes?
Safe flatten re-renders each page as an image with the boxes burned in, which destroys the text layer: hidden content cannot be copied, searched, or recovered. Black boxes only paints rectangles over the text while leaving it in the file, which is fast but not secure.
Why is drawing a black box in a normal editor not enough?
Because the box is just ink on top. The characters underneath remain in the file, so selecting the area, or extracting text with any free tool, reveals them. Real redaction removes the text, which is what Safe flatten does.
Does Safe flatten change how the document looks?
Pages become high resolution images, so the layout, stamps, and signatures look the same, but text is no longer selectable or searchable, and the file size can grow because each page now carries a picture.
Are my documents uploaded anywhere?
No. Rendering, drawing, and flattening all run in your browser with local JavaScript. The file is never transmitted to a server, which matters double when the document is sensitive enough to redact.
Can I redact images inside a PDF, like a photo of an ID?
Yes. Boxes work anywhere on the page, including over photographs, signatures, and stamps, and both export modes paint them solid black.
Is there a page or size limit?
There is no fixed limit. Large documents take longer to flatten because every page is re-rendered at print resolution; the progress bar shows where the process is.