About the Redact PDF
Tezmy's Redact PDF tool hides private information such as names, account numbers, addresses and signatures before you share a document. Draw black boxes over anything on the page, or type a word or number to find and mark it on every page at once. When you save, each page with a box is rebuilt as a picture with the black boxes burned in, so the hidden text is really gone: it can't be copied, searched or uncovered. Pages without boxes stay exactly as they were. It all happens in your browser, so your document is never uploaded.
Updated October 2026
How to use the Redact PDF
- 1Click Select PDF file, or drop your PDF on the page.
- 2Drag over the text or images you want to hide, or type a word and click Mark all.
- 3Go through the pages and check every box covers what it should.
- 4Click Redact and save.
- 5Download the redacted PDF.
What people redact
- Account numbers, card numbers and balances on bank statements you send as proof of address.
- National ID, passport and social security numbers on copies of documents.
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of other people in letters, reports and court papers.
- Salary details on payslips and contracts, or prices in quotes shared with third parties.
- Signatures before posting a document online.
Why covering text isn't enough
A PDF page is made of layers: text, images and drawings. Putting a black shape on top, as many editors and annotation tools do, only adds another layer. The text underneath is still in the file, so it can be copied, found with search or revealed by deleting the shape. Documents have leaked this way many times.
This tool does real redaction. Each page you put a box on is drawn as a picture, the black boxes are painted into the picture, and only that picture goes into the new PDF. The original page, with its text and hidden layers, is left out completely.
How to redact carefully
- Use Mark all for anything that appears several times, like your name or an account number, then look at every page it marked.
- Try different spellings and formats: “1234 5678” and “12345678” are different searches.
- Draw boxes a little larger than the text so no edges of letters peek out.
- Remember headers, footers, tables, stamps and pictures; Mark all only finds text.
- After saving, open the new PDF and try to select or search the hidden text to confirm it's gone.
What changes in the file
Redacted pages become pictures at 150 DPI: easy to read and print, but their text can't be selected or searched any more, and links on them no longer work. All other pages are copied unchanged. Document properties such as title and author, and bookmarks, are not copied into the new file.
Because pictures are bigger than text, the PDF can grow when you redact many pages. If it's too big to email, run it through Compress PDF afterwards; the redaction stays in place.
On a phone or computer, and private
It works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chromebook. On a computer, a mouse makes precise boxes easiest; on a phone, drag with your finger on the page preview. The document is read and redacted on your device and never uploaded, which is the point when the information is private. To remove whole pages use Delete PDF Pages, and to lock the final file use Protect PDF.
Features
- Draw black boxes with mouse or finger
- Find a word or number and mark every match
- Hidden text is removed, not just covered
- Pages without boxes stay unchanged
- Undo, remove single boxes, clear a page
- Private: files never leave your device
Frequently asked questions
How do I redact a PDF for free?
Select your PDF, drag a box over each thing you want to hide (or type a word and click Mark all), then click Redact and save. Download the new PDF and share that one instead of the original.
Is the text under the black box really removed?
Yes. Every page with a box is rebuilt as a picture of the page with the black boxes painted into it. The original text, images and hidden layers of that page are not copied into the new file, so there's nothing left to select, copy or search under the boxes.
Why not just draw a black rectangle in a PDF editor?
Because a drawn rectangle only covers the text: it's still in the file underneath. Anyone can often select and copy it, search for it, or delete the rectangle. This is a well-known cause of leaked information in legal and government documents. Real redaction has to remove what's underneath, which is what this tool does.
How does Mark all work?
Type a name, number or word and click Mark all. The tool searches the text of every page and puts a black box over each match, then jumps to the first page with a match. It finds matches within a line of text and works out their position from the letters, so check that each box fully covers the word and draw a bigger one if needed.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?
Yes, by drawing boxes: scanned pages are already pictures, and the boxes are burned into them. Mark all can't find words on scanned pages, because they have no text layer.
What happens to the pages I redact?
They become images at 150 DPI, which is clear to read and print. Text on those pages can no longer be selected or searched, and links on them stop working. Pages without boxes keep their text, links and quality. The file may get bigger if you redact many pages.
Does it remove hidden information like the title or author?
The new PDF doesn't copy the original's document properties (title, author, subject, keywords) or bookmarks, which can also contain names. It's still worth checking the file name before you send it.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Searching, drawing boxes and building the redacted PDF all happen in your browser, so the document never leaves your device.