How to use
- Select or drop a PDF file — every page is rendered on screen so you can see exactly what to hide.
- Drag on any page to draw solid black redaction boxes over the text or images you want to remove.
- Click Redact PDF to flatten each page and burn the black boxes permanently into the document.
- Download the redacted PDF — the covered content is gone and cannot be copied or recovered.
Frequently asked questions
Is the redacted content really gone, or just hidden?
It is really gone. Redaction flattens each page into an image with the black boxes burned in, so the text and images beneath the boxes are permanently removed — they cannot be selected, copied, searched or recovered, unlike a black shape drawn on top of live text.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. Your PDF is rendered, redacted and rebuilt entirely on your device. The tool runs 100% in your browser and nothing is ever uploaded, so your confidential document stays private.
Will the text in my PDF still be selectable after redacting?
No. Because every page becomes a flattened image, the finished PDF no longer contains selectable or searchable text anywhere. That trade-off is exactly what makes the redaction permanent and safe.
Can I redact multiple pages in one file?
Yes. Every page of your PDF is rendered on screen, and you can draw as many black boxes as you like on any page before you redact the whole document in one step.
Is there a file size or page limit?
There is no fixed limit — the tool handles your PDF using your device's memory, so very large or high-resolution files simply take a little longer to render and rebuild.
Why does my redacted PDF look slightly different or larger?
Each page is re-rendered as a JPEG image (at quality 0.92) and reassembled into a new PDF. This is what removes the underlying data permanently, so scanned or image-heavy pages may look marginally different or change in file size.
About this tool
Free online PDF redaction tool: draw black boxes over sensitive text and images, then flatten each page so the content is permanently removed. Runs 100% in your browser — no uploads.