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How we handle your dataLaboratory · On your device
Redact PDF
Permanently black out text and images in areas you mark or in every match of a search, on your device. Hidden text under the black boxes is removed. Files stay in your browser.
Engine:PDFium
Choose a PDF
One PDF up to 20 MB and 100 pages.
Choose one PDF to start.
Mark what to remove
Drag across the page to mark an area (this works with a finger on phones), or add an area and move it with the arrow keys. Shift with the arrow keys resizes it; Delete removes it.
0 marked areas
Redacted PDF
Download redacted PDFThe next tool opens in a new tab. Keep this tab open until the file arrives. The PDF is passed locally; it is not uploaded or saved in browser storage.
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Try an example
Download sample PDFSearch for 148.50 to mark both totals, then drag an area over the signature image. In the downloaded PDF, 148.50 cannot be found or copied, the image area is black, and the heading and the Keep this line text remain.
What to expect
Redaction removes the text under each marked area, erases the pixels of images inside it and fills the area with black. Text only partly inside an area is cut at the character level: check the edges in the preview. Before a download is offered, the saved file is checked: no text can be extracted from any marked area.
Annotations and form fields on pages with marks are flattened into the page first, so they are no longer editable there. Document properties, bookmarks, attachments and text on unmarked pages are not changed; remove sensitive document properties separately. Search finds text only; scanned pages need drawn areas.
Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first. Up to 500 marked areas. Opening allows 45 seconds; redaction stops after two minutes. Rewriting a PDF invalidates digital signatures.