Black out names, numbers and text in a PDF so they are gone from the file, not just hidden
Processed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. Updated on 24 Oct 2026.Draw boxes over what must go, or search a name to box every match. Each page with a box is redrawn as a picture at 200 DPI with the boxes burned in, so the hidden words are gone from the file. The saved PDF is checked for leftover text before download. Nothing is uploaded.
Press Select a PDF; the document stays on your device.
Type a name or number into Find text to box and press Box every match.
Drag on the page to draw extra black boxes, and use the page arrows to check every page.
Press Redact and save, then download; pages with boxes are saved as pictures, so the hidden words are gone.
Redact PDF removes names, account numbers, addresses and anything else you mark from a PDF, so that the file you send really does not contain them.
Why a black box is not enough. A PDF stores its words as text, separate from how the page looks. Most editors "redact" by drawing a black rectangle on top, and the text stays underneath: select it, copy it, paste it, and it is all there. Court filings and government reports have leaked this way.
What this tool does instead. Mark the areas by dragging on the page, or type a word or number and press Box every match to cover it on every page. When you save, each page that has a box is drawn as an image at 150, 200 or 300 DPI, the boxes are filled in solid black on that image, and the image replaces the page. The old page, with its text, fonts and hidden layers, is not copied. Pages without a box are copied exactly as they were.
What you give up. A redacted page is a picture: its text can no longer be selected, searched or read aloud by a screen reader, and the file grows by about 0.3 to 0.8 MB per redacted page at 200 DPI (measured on six pages of a government budget report). Links and form fields on redacted pages stop working. Across the whole file the title, author, keywords, XMP metadata, bookmarks and the form's stored data are removed, because each can repeat what you hid.
Checked before download. The saved file is opened again and read: every redacted page must have no text at all, every word you searched for must be found nowhere, and no title or author may remain. If any check fails, no download is offered.
What it does not do. It does not find text inside pictures, such as a scanned page; draw those boxes by hand. It does not recognise names by itself. Nothing is uploaded; the PDF is read, redrawn and checked in your browser.
Drop the PDF, then drag a box over each thing to hide or search for it and press Box every match. Press Redact and save: every page with a box becomes an image with the boxes burned in, so the covered words are no longer in the file.
Most editors only draw a black shape on top of the text. The words stay in the file underneath, so selecting and pasting them, or searching the PDF, still finds them. True redaction has to remove the text, which is why redacted pages here are redrawn as pictures.
Rebuilding the page as a picture is the one method that leaves nothing behind: no text layer, no fonts, no hidden layers. The trade-off is that the text on those pages can no longer be selected or searched. Pages without a box keep their text.
200 DPI, the default, keeps normal print sharp and added 0.3 to 0.8 MB per redacted page in our tests. Choose 300 DPI for small print or fine drawings, and 150 DPI when the file must stay small, for example for an email limit.
Yes, when the PDF has real text. Type the name or number and press Box every match; each match on every page gets a box, and the saved file is checked that the words appear nowhere. A scanned page is a picture, so draw its boxes by hand.
No. The PDF is opened, redrawn and checked inside your browser, on your own device. Files up to 100 MB work. A PDF with a password needs its password once; the redacted copy is saved without one.
Still stuck? Ask about Redact PDF and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
Also works as: Black Out Text in PDF.
Same job, other tools: Extract PDF Pages – Pick the pages you need and save them as a new PDF · Sign PDF Online Free – Type your name as a signature and sign a PDF in seconds · HEIC to PDF – Convert iPhone HEIC photos straight into a PDF · JPG to PDF – Convert JPG photos into a single PDF, in the order you choose · Compress PDF to 500 KB – Fit a multi-page scan under 500 KB with its text still readable.
On the related tools: Resume Word to PDF – Send your resume as a PDF so the formatting holds.