Redact PDF

Runs in browser PDF Security & Privacy

True redaction, not a black rectangle on top: every page that carries a redaction box is rendered to an image with the boxes burnt in and replaces the original page, so the hidden text no longer exists in the file, cannot be selected, searched or extracted. Pages without boxes stay untouched vectors.

Privacy: Processed locally in your browser. Your file is not uploaded.

How do PDF passwords, permissions and redaction work?

PDF encryption (ISO 32000, AES-256 in current files) has two passwords: the user password opens the document, the owner password controls permissions such as printing, copying and editing. Permissions are advisory flags that compliant readers honour, not a cryptographic barrier. Redaction is different from covering: a black box drawn over text leaves the text in the file, whereas true redaction removes it from the content stream — and metadata, attachments and thumbnails can leak what the pages no longer show.

Security note: Before sharing a redacted or "cleaned" PDF, inspect its metadata and text layer: what a viewer cannot see may still be in the file. Permissions stop honest readers, not determined ones.

Read the guide: How to Edit a PDF Without Uploading It

A black box only hides the words, and a search still finds them; Redact PDF replaces the page with a picture of itself, so the words are gone from the file.

A black box drawn over the text

Covering

On screen:
The words are hidden
In the saved file:
The text is still there, under the box
Search or Extract Text finds the covered words:
Yes: they can be selected and copiedFail
Rest of that page:
Unchanged, still selectable
Pages without a box:
Unchanged

Redact PDFThis tool

Redaction

On screen:
The words are hidden
In the saved file:
The page is replaced by a picture of itself with the boxes burnt in; the original page leaves the file
Search or Extract Text finds the covered words:
No: the words are absentPass
Rest of that page:
Part of the picture: its text is no longer selectable
Pages without a box:
Unchanged: vector content, fonts and links kept

This tool removes what you box on the page. Metadata, attachments and scripts need Remove PDF Metadata and PDF Cleanup & Sanitizer afterwards.

How to use Redact PDF

  1. Drop a PDF.
  2. Drag black boxes over the content to remove.
  3. Choose the resolution.
  4. Click "Save PDF" and download; verify with Extract Text if you like.

Redact PDF features

  • Draw boxes over anything to remove
  • Redacted pages are rasterised with the boxes burnt in — the text is gone
  • Unaffected pages stay vector
  • 150 / 200 / 300 dpi
  • Result states how many pages were converted
  • Local processing

Redact PDF example

Remove names from a 12-page report

Input:

Boxes on pages 2, 5 and 9; 200 dpi

Output:

report-redacted.pdf — 3 pages replaced by images without the names, 9 pages untouched

Frequently asked questions about Redact PDF

How can I be sure the text is really gone?

Because the redacted page is replaced by a picture of itself with the boxes filled in: there is no text object left to find. Run Extract Text from PDF or search the saved file — the redacted words are absent. Text on those pages is no longer selectable, which is the price of real redaction.

Are pages without redactions changed?

No. Only pages that carry at least one box are rasterised; the others keep their original vector content, fonts and links.

What resolution are redacted pages saved at?

200 dpi by default (readable and printable); choose 150 dpi for smaller files or 300 dpi for print quality. The result also tells you how many pages were converted.

Does it also remove metadata and hidden data?

This tool removes what you box on the page. Run Remove PDF Metadata and PDF Cleanup & Sanitizer afterwards to strip document properties, attachments and scripts.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The file is opened and processed by your browser with WebAssembly and JavaScript; nothing is sent to Mutqan Soft or anyone else. Close the tab and the file is gone. Downloading the result needs a free account — no subscription, no payment.

Can I use it on a password-protected PDF?

Yes, if you know the password: the file list asks for it once and every operation then works on the decrypted pages. The output is saved without a password unless you protect it again.

Technical notes

For each page with a box, pdf.js renders the page (with its rotation) at the chosen dpi, the boxes are filled on the canvas, and the JPEG replaces the page: a new page of the displayed size whose only original content is the image. Anything else you added to that page in the editor (text, shapes, images, notes, markup) is re-projected into the new coordinate space and written on top of the image. Annotations of the original page are not carried over.

References