Redact PDF free: black out text for real
This is real redaction, not a black box over live text. Every page that has a box is redrawn as a picture with the box burned in, so the text underneath is not in the saved file. Pages without a box are left as they were. Redacted pages become images: their text can no longer be selected, and their links and form fields are lost. Keep your original; redaction cannot be undone.
Free, with no account. Nothing is uploaded: your PDF stays in this browser.
The PDF libraries load only after you choose a file. Password-protected PDFs need the password removed first.
Choose a PDF to begin.
Find text to box
Boxes
After saving, open the new PDF and try to select or search the covered words to confirm they are gone. Redacted pages are rebuilt at about 144 dpi, so they can look slightly softer than the original. Digital signatures on the original do not survive.
Made with pdf.js by Mozilla, Apache-2.0 (license text) and pdf-lib by Andrew Dillon, MIT license (license text).
How to use this tool
Choose a PDF, draw boxes over what must be hidden (or type a word and select Find and box), check each page, then select Apply redactions and save the new PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Is the hidden text really gone, or just covered?
Really gone. A page with a redaction box is drawn again as a flat picture with the black boxes burned into the pixels, and the original page, with its text, fonts, links and form fields, is not copied into the new file. Selecting or searching that page finds nothing. Pages without a box are copied unchanged.
What happens to pages I did not redact?
They are copied into the new PDF as they were, with selectable text, links and fields. Only pages that have at least one box become pictures. The new file also drops the original document information, so check anything else you need, such as bookmarks.
Is my PDF uploaded, and is it free?
No. The PDF is read and redacted entirely in your browser, with nothing uploaded or stored by API Tool Calls. It is free, with no sign up.
How does Find and box text work?
It searches the text layer of every page for your words, ignoring upper and lower case, and puts a box over each match. Text split across two lines, hyphenated words and text inside scanned pictures may not be found, so look at every page before applying. You can remove any box or draw your own.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?
Yes, by drawing boxes, because a scan is already a picture. Find and box text cannot read a scan. Pages with a box are rebuilt at about 144 dpi, so they can look a little softer than the original.
Does this work for legal or privacy requirements?
It removes the covered content from the pages it rebuilds, but you are responsible for the result. Check the output: open it, try to select and search the covered words, and look for the same details elsewhere in the file, such as other pages, the file name or bookmarks. Redaction cannot be undone, so keep your original.