Redact PDF
Redact PDF permanently removes the text and images under each area you mark, rather than drawing a box over them, entirely in your browser with no upload.
Drag and drop, or click to upload a PDF to redact
PDF file · processed on your device, never uploaded
At a glance
- Accepts
- One PDF file
- Outputs
- A redacted PDF with the marked content and document metadata removed
- Where it runs
- Entirely in your browser, on your device
- What leaves your device
- Nothing - the file never leaves your device
- Limits
- No size or count cap; bounded by your device's memory; redacted pages become images, so their remaining text is no longer selectable
- Account
- Not required - there is no sign-up
- Price
- Free, with no watermark and no usage cap
- Made by
- Visrut
- Last updated
- 12 October 2026
Redact PDF blacks out names, numbers, signatures or anything else in a PDF - and actually removes them. A black rectangle drawn in most editors only covers the text, which stays in the file for anyone to copy out. Here every page you redact is flattened to an image with the boxes burned in and rebuilt from that image, so the hidden content no longer exists in the downloaded file. It all runs in this browser tab with pdf.js and pdf-lib; the document is never uploaded.
How to use it
- Drag and drop, or click to upload a PDF.
- Drag a box over each area to remove, or type a word into Find and mark to box every match on every page.
- Check each page with Previous and Next. Click a box and press Delete to remove a mistake, or Undo the last one.
- Click "Download redacted PDF".
Frequently asked questions
Is the text really removed, or just covered?
Really removed. Every page with a redaction is turned into an image with the black boxes painted onto the pixels, and that page is rebuilt from the image alone - the original text, fonts and pictures of that page are not in the downloaded file at all. You can't select, copy, search or uncover what was under a box.
What's the catch?
Pages you redact become images, so the rest of the text on those pages is no longer selectable or searchable either, and they can get a bit larger. Pages you don't redact are copied over exactly as they were, with their text intact.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. pdf.js renders the pages and pdf-lib builds the new file inside your browser tab. For a document sensitive enough to redact, that matters: it never leaves your device.
What else is removed from the file?
The output is a brand-new PDF, so the document metadata (title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer), XMP metadata, bookmarks, form fields, attachments and document scripts of the original are not carried over. Links and comments on untouched pages are kept.
Can it find every instance of a name or number?
Yes - type it into Find and mark, and every match on every page gets a box. It searches the PDF's text layer, so it can't find words in a scanned page (those are only pixels); box those by hand.
What resolution are redacted pages saved at?
200 DPI by default, which keeps normal text crisp on screen and in print. Pick 300 DPI for small print or fine detail, or 150 DPI for a smaller file.
What's the redacted file called?
Your original filename with -redacted added, like statement-redacted.pdf.