Redact PDF
Find text and cover it with black rectangles — visual redaction. For full text-stream removal, use a paid pro tool.
1. Upload your file
How does the Redact PDF work?
Cover sensitive text with opaque black rectangles. This tool finds every occurrence of the text you specify (case-insensitive by default; case-sensitive and regex modes available) and draws a black rectangle over each one. Important caveat: this is **visual** redaction — the original characters remain in the PDF's text stream beneath the rectangle. Anyone determined enough can copy-paste them out, or examine the stream with a tool. For court-grade redaction (where the bytes themselves are removed), use Adobe Acrobat Pro's Redact tool or another paid product. For most everyday "hide this from a casual reader" uses — sharing a screenshot, blurring an address before posting — this tool is fast, free, and runs in your browser.
Related guide
How to Redact a PDF Properly (Not Just Black Bars)A 2026 walkthrough for redacting PDFs the right way: removing text from the underlying content stream, not just drawing black rectangles on top. Browser-side, no signup, with the failure-mode reference.🔒 Security & Privacy
All processing happens on your device. Your files never leave your browser, never touch our servers, and are not stored anywhere. Close the tab and the file is gone.
📱 Use it on any device
Works in any modern browser — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, and tablets. No installation, no app to download. Just open the page and start.
⚡ Quick & easy
Drag, drop, click. Most files process in seconds, not minutes. No watermarks added to your output, no per-day limits, and the tool always shows the result before asking you to download.
🎁 Always free, no signup
Free to use, every time. No account creation, no email required, no “trial” that converts to a paid plan. We make money from ads so you don’t have to pay.
Frequently asked
For heavier PDF workflows
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