Redact a PDF for real
Drawing a black box over text doesn't remove it: the words are still there to copy and paste. This tool burns your boxes into the page and rebuilds the whole PDF from fresh page images, so the hidden text, and everything else the original file carried, is gone.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 2 min read
Choose the PDF to redact
Then drag a box over each thing to remove: names, account numbers, addresses. Up to 100 pages.
Your file never leaves your device. Redaction happens right here in your browser. The PDF and what you hide are never uploaded.
On this page
How to redact a PDF
- 1
Open the PDF
Choose the file. Its first page opens large, with arrows to move between pages.
- 2
Draw the boxes
Drag across anything that has to go: an account number, a name, a signature, a photo. Tap a box's × to remove it, or Undo the last one.
- 3
Download
Tap Download redacted PDF. Every page is redrawn as a picture, with your boxes burned in black, and a new PDF is built from those pictures alone.
- 4
Check it
Open the result and try to select the text under a box. There's nothing to select, because nothing is there.
Why so many redactions fail
Court filings and public reports have leaked names and figures because someone covered text with a black rectangle or a black highlighter in a PDF editor. The rectangle sits on top while the text stays underneath, searchable and copyable. Real redaction removes the content itself.
What changes in the redacted file
- Every page becomes an image. No page keeps text you can select, search or copy, including pages without a box. That is the trade-off that makes the redaction real: nothing from the original file is carried over, so nothing hidden in it can survive.
- Links, form fields, comments, bookmarks, attachments and scripts are gone, along with the document's title and author details.
- Pages with a box are drawn at 200 dots per inch; the others at 150. Both are sharp enough to read and print. Expect a bigger file than the original.
- Up to 100 pages at a time. Split a longer document first.
Before you share it
Look past the page, too: a file name with a client's name in it, the subject line of your email, or a second copy of the same page later in the document. Redaction only removes what you box.
Redacting before you send for signature
SignMaster has redaction built into its editor. Draw boxes on the document before you send it and the covered areas are burned into the page the same way, so signers never receive what you hid. See redacting before sending.
Questions? Answers.
Can redacted text be recovered?
No. The original pages, with their text, aren't in the new file at all; only pictures of them with the black boxes burned in are. Keep your original somewhere safe if you'll need it later.
Why can't I search or select text anywhere in the redacted file?
Because every page is a picture now, including the pages you didn't box. Rebuilding the whole file from pictures is what guarantees nothing hidden in the original comes along.
Is my document uploaded?
No. Pages are drawn, blacked out and rebuilt by your browser, on your device. Nobody else sees the file or what you hid.
Is this enough for legal or medical records?
It removes the text you box, but finding everything that needs hiding is up to you. Some courts and regulators also ask for specific redaction methods or logs, so check what yours require.