Mark areas and rebuild a PDF from fresh page pixels in your browser.
OpenGuide
Redact a PDF so the text is gone
Redaction means the hidden words are no longer in the document. Covering text with a shape does not do that, because the characters stay in the file. This guide shows how the redaction tool rebuilds a PDF from page images, and what that costs you.
Why covering text is not enough
A PDF stores text in content streams that a reader draws on the page. Drawing a filled rectangle on top adds another object. The original characters are still in the file underneath it.
Anyone holding that file can select the area, copy it, search it, or open it in an extraction tool, and the covered words come back.
How the redaction tool works
The tool renders each page to fresh pixels in your browser, then lets you drag across the areas to remove. Those areas are painted into the pixels, and a new PDF is written from the finished page images.
The source page structure is never copied. The result holds rasterized pages instead of the original text and objects, so fully covered words are not left underneath the redaction.
Steps
- Open the PDF redaction tool and choose one PDF, up to 25 MB and 40 pages.
- Move through the document with the Previous and Next buttons.
- Drag across each area that must be removed. Mark every page that holds private content.
- Check the region counter, then choose Redact and download.
- Open the saved file, try to select or search for the text you removed, and confirm the marked areas are covered.
What the finished file loses
Because every page is re-encoded as an image, the output no longer has searchable text, links, form fields, comments, attachments, scripts, or digital signatures. Accessibility structure goes as well, since there is no text layer for a screen reader to follow.
The visible appearance of the pages is kept. File size usually grows, because each page is stored as a picture instead of text and drawing instructions.
When editing the original is the better answer
If you still have the source document, delete the text there and export a new PDF. Editing the source can keep text selectable and searchable, and it can keep forms and links working, but that depends on the editor you use.
Whatever route you take, open the exported file before you send it. Check the text, the forms, and any hidden content such as comments, attachments, or earlier revisions that an editor left inside.
Rebuilding is the fallback for documents you only have as a PDF, such as a scan or a file someone else sent you.
Limits to keep in mind
- The output is image only. Searchable text, links, forms, comments, attachments, scripts, signatures, and accessibility structure are not copied.
- One file at a time, up to 25 MB and 40 pages.
- Rendering happens in your browser, so a long document can be slow on a phone and the result can be larger than the source.
- Always reopen the saved file and confirm the redacted areas before sending it on.
Questions
Is the PDF uploaded?
No. PDF.js renders the pages and pdf-lib writes the new file. Both are served from this site and run inside your browser.
Can a redaction be undone?
No. The exported file no longer contains the removed text. Keep the original if you still need it.
Why is the new file bigger?
Each page is stored as an image instead of text and vector instructions, which usually takes more space.
Does it work on scanned documents?
Yes. A scan is already a picture of a page, so the result looks the same and drops any metadata or hidden layers the file carried.