Free tool
Redaction that actually removes the text
Mark sensitive areas, then rebuild every page from fresh pixels. The original text layer and document structure are not copied, so covered content is not left underneath a rectangle.
Redact
Choose a PDF
One file at a time, up to 25 MB and 40 pages.
Drag across each sensitive area. Mark every page that contains private content.
Why
Covering is not removing
A PDF holds text in content streams. Drawing a filled shape on top of a sentence leaves that sentence in the file, where a copy, a search, or an extraction tool can still reach it.
- Real redaction rewrites the page content and drops the covered text
- It removes the matching text from the document's searchable index
- It strips images underneath the region when those are part of the secret
The output becomes image only Search, selectable text, links, forms, attachments, scripts, and digital signatures are not copied. This is what prevents covered source text from remaining recoverable.
How to remove content today
Permanent redaction needs a new document. This tool renders each page, paints the marked areas into the page pixels, and builds a new PDF from those pixels.
A scanned page
The same process works for scanned pages and ordinary PDFs. The output preserves visible appearance, but it no longer contains selectable text or interactive document features.
A text document
Edit the source document, delete the text, and export a new PDF. Deleting the sentence is what removes it; covering it in a viewer is not.
Checking your work
Open the finished file and try to select or search for the text you removed. If it can be found, it is still there. The metadata inspector on this site can report what a document carries before you send it.
Is this different from drawing a black rectangle?
Yes. A normal annotation adds a shape while leaving source text underneath. This tool first renders the page, paints the region into those pixels, and writes a new image-only page.
Does the output remain searchable?
No. Flattening is the safety boundary, so the output loses selectable text, links, forms, comments, attachments, scripts, and signatures.
Does deleting the text in my editor remove it?
Yes, in the exported copy. The original file you edited from still contains what it contained before, so delete or overwrite that version as well if it was shared.