Redact a PDF: black out text for good
Select a name, an account number or a whole paragraph, and pdfanonym removes it from the file and leaves a black box in its place. Nothing is uploaded.
- Files never leave your device
- Text is truly deleted, not hidden
- Free, no account, no watermark
Choose a PDF Processed on your computer. Nothing is uploaded.
How to redact a PDF in three steps
Open your PDF
Drop it on the page or pick it from your computer. It opens instantly, because it never leaves your device.
Mark what must disappear
Drag across text, click a word, double-click a line, or type a name in the search box and press Mark all. For scans, switch to Area and draw a rectangle.
Apply and download
Press Del or Apply to delete the text, check the result, then Download. Hidden metadata is removed too by default.
A black box is not redaction
Most PDF editors let you draw a black rectangle and call it redaction. The difference only shows up when someone copies the text.
Drawing a box on top
The page looks redacted, but the words are still in the file. Select the area, copy, paste into an email: the hidden name appears. Search finds it too, and so does any text extraction tool.
Real redaction
The characters under the box are removed from the page content. There is nothing left to copy, search or extract. The black box is just a visual marker, and you can even choose to leave white space instead.
What can you redact?
Anything that is text in the PDF: names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, bank details (IBAN), social security or tax numbers, salaries, case references, signatures typed as text. The search box finds every occurrence across all pages, ignoring capitals and accents, so a client's surname is caught everywhere in a 200-page file with one click.
If your PDF is a scan, the "text" is really a picture. Switch to Area mode, draw a rectangle over the passage and tick images in the options: the pixels inside the rectangle are erased from the image itself.
Who uses PDF redaction?
- Lawyers and paralegals preparing exhibits and court filings.
- HR teams sharing payslips, contracts or investigation reports.
- Anyone answering a GDPR or freedom-of-information request, where third-party data must be removed before disclosure.
- Landlords, tenants and freelancers sending bank statements or ID documents that only need part of the information.
Check your redaction before sending
After downloading, open the file, select the redacted area and try to copy it, then search for one of the words you removed. Nothing should come back. Our guide on how to redact a PDF properly lists all the checks.
Questions people ask
Is the text really deleted, or just covered?
Deleted. pdfanonym applies the redaction to the page content, so the characters no longer exist in the file. Copy, search and text extraction return nothing.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?
Yes, with Area mode. Draw a rectangle and tick “images” in the options: the part of the scanned image under the rectangle is blanked out. Text search does not work on scans because there is no text layer.
Can I remove the text without leaving a black box?
Yes. Untick “Leave a black box” in the options, or use our remove text from PDF tool, which leaves blank space instead.
Is there a page or file size limit?
No fixed limit. Very large files (several hundred pages) depend on your computer's memory, but everyday documents open in a second.
Can I undo a redaction?
Yes, as long as you have not closed the page: press Ctrl/Cmd+Z. Once the file is downloaded, the redaction is permanent, which is the point.
Are my files stored anywhere?
No. They are never uploaded, so there is nothing on our side to store or delete.