Is covered text removed from selection?

Yes. The output pages are rebuilt as images after black boxes are painted.

Does the whole PDF become rasterized?

Yes. Every output page is a JPEG-backed image.

Will the result remain searchable?

No. The original text layer is removed.

Can I restore a redaction later?

Not from the redacted output; keep the original securely.

Can large PDFs use substantial memory?

Yes. Every page is rendered and encoded locally, so device memory sets practical limits.

PDF Tools

Redact PDF

Permanently cover sensitive PDF regions and remove the selectable content underneath.

Free browser toolRuns in your browserNo sign-up

Secure redaction studio

Permanently cover sensitive PDF content

Mark private regions visually and create a rasterized copy designed to prevent covered text recovery.

Permanent

raster output

Multi-page

redactions

Local

processing

Drop a PDF here, or click to choose

Processed locally in your browser.

About the Redact PDF

Redact PDF lets you drag black rectangles over sensitive regions on any page. Page switching preserves earlier marks, and undo or clear-all controls support review before application.

When redactions are applied, every page is rendered at 1.5x scale, black boxes are painted into those page images, and a new JPEG-backed PDF is created. Covered source text is therefore no longer selectable or recoverable from the output text layer.

The complete result is rasterized, so all selectable text, links, forms, and vector sharpness are lost. Always inspect the downloaded file at high zoom because incomplete boxes cannot be repaired after sharing.

Key features

Drag-to-mark black redaction regions
Multi-page redaction support
Redaction count
Undo and clear-all controls
Per-page progress
Permanent rasterized page output
Local processing

How to use

1Upload the PDF and select the first page containing private content.
2Drag black boxes that fully cover each sensitive region.
3Repeat on every affected page.
4Use undo or clear-all if any box is misplaced.
5Apply redactions and wait for every page to rasterize.
6Open the result and verify every box before sharing.

Examples

Share a statement safely

Input: Black boxes over account and reference numbers

Output: Rasterized PDF with those regions baked into black pixels

Frequently asked questions

Is covered text removed from selection?: Yes. The output pages are rebuilt as images after black boxes are painted.
Does the whole PDF become rasterized?: Yes. Every output page is a JPEG-backed image.
Will the result remain searchable?: No. The original text layer is removed.
Can I restore a redaction later?: Not from the redacted output; keep the original securely.
Can large PDFs use substantial memory?: Yes. Every page is rendered and encoded locally, so device memory sets practical limits.

Open a related tool to prepare your files or refine the finished result.