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Redact PDF

Redact a PDF

Permanently hide sensitive text and information in your PDF before you share it.

Redact a PDF online, free

Redaction runs entirely inside your browser — the document is never uploaded, which matters more here than anywhere else, since the whole point is the part you do not want anyone to see. Redacting in PDF Vision is not a black rectangle drawn over a name. You drag zones across the page, and every text object substantially covered by a zone is deleted from the document before a black or white block is painted on top, so those words cannot be copied, searched or extracted from the exported file. Draw your zones generously: a text object less than half covered is left in place, so extend each rectangle past the edges of what you are hiding — and where a zone deletes nothing, no block is painted either. Zones stack across as many pages as you need, and the result screen reports the total number of text objects removed. Free, with no account needed.

How to redact a PDF

  1. Open your PDF

    Upload the file — no account needed. Each page renders in the viewer so you can read the document before marking anything.

  2. Drag over sensitive text

    Click and drag a rectangle over each name, number or clause, extending it well past the edges of the words; change page or zoom and keep marking as needed.

  3. Apply and download

    Pick black or white blocks and apply. A block appears only where text objects were actually deleted, so a zone that leaves no mark caught nothing — widen it and run again before downloading.

Why use it

Text deleted, not hidden

Text objects covered by a zone are removed from the page before the block is drawn — so draw the rectangle wider than the words themselves. Anything less than half covered stays in the file, hidden only visually.

Editable zone list

Every rectangle you draw appears in a sidebar with its page number and its own delete button, so a misplaced selection costs one click, not a restart.

A verifiable count

The result screen reports how many text objects were actually removed in total, so you can confirm a marked area really held text before you send the file.

Frequently asked questions

Isn't drawing a black box over the text enough?
No, and it is the most common redaction failure. A drawn rectangle sits above the words, which stay in the file and can be copied straight out. PDF Vision deletes the covered text objects first, then draws the block — which is exactly why the rectangle should be drawn wider than the words.
Can redacted text be recovered from the file?
Not the text your zones substantially covered: those objects no longer exist in the exported PDF. But a text object less than half covered by a zone is kept — the block hides it on screen while the characters remain extractable. Draw wide rectangles, check the removal count, and keep your original: the change cannot be undone.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?
Only if it holds real text. A scan is a picture of words, so there is no text object to delete. If none of your zones contains real text, PDF Vision stops and tells you rather than producing a file that only looks redacted — but that check is global: as long as one zone catches text the run goes ahead, and empty zones pass silently.
Can I redact several areas across different pages?
Yes. Mark as many rectangles as you need, moving between pages and zooming as you go; every zone is listed with its page number and all are applied in one pass.
Should I use black or white redaction blocks?
Black is the convention when a reader should see that something was withheld, as in legal disclosure. White suits documents where the removal shouldn't draw the eye, such as reused templates.
Is Redact PDF free?
Yes, and no account is needed to use it. Redaction runs entirely in your browser, so it costs us nothing — mark as many zones as the document needs. Your first redacted download each day is free; a free account keeps you going after that.

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