Redact PDF

Redact a PDF in Your Browser

Hide sensitive text or images on a PDF. Redacted pages are flattened to images, so the hidden content is truly removed — not just visually covered. Your file never leaves your device.

Drop a PDF here

or choose a file

Your file never leaves your device.

No upload proof

This tool runs locally in your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. PDF Plain does not receive your PDF or your redactions.

You can verify this yourself: open your browser's Network tab while using the tool and watch — no PDF or image file is sent.

How redaction works here: PDF Plain rasterizes any page you redact, then bakes the black boxes into the image. The output PDF contains an image of redacted pages, not the original text or fonts. Text on redacted pages is no longer selectable, searchable, or copyable. Untouched pages keep their original vector content.

How it works

1. Add a PDF

Drop the file in or pick it from your device.

2. Drag black boxes over sensitive content

Add as many as you need on any page. Resize and move freely.

3. Download a flattened redacted PDF

Redacted pages become images. Untouched pages stay as vector PDF.

How to verify a redaction

Do not judge a redaction only by how the page looks. After downloading, open the new PDF in a separate reader and test the result before sharing it.

Zoom in and confirm every black box fully covers the intended content.
Try to select or copy text from a redacted page. The page should behave like an image.
Search for the hidden words with Ctrl+F or Command+F. They should not be found on the flattened page.
Check every page for names, account numbers, addresses, barcodes, or other details you may have missed.

Flattening is intentionally destructive: text on a redacted page is no longer selectable, and existing cryptographic signatures may become invalid. Keep the original private and share only the verified redacted copy.

See the detailed checklist in how to permanently redact a PDF.

FAQ

Is the redacted content really removed?

Yes. Pages with redaction boxes are rasterized to images before download, then the black boxes are baked into those images. The original page-level text and fonts are gone from the output PDF.

Why is my output PDF bigger than the original?

Redacted pages are stored as images, which are heavier than the original vector text. Untouched pages carry no extra weight.

Can I still search the redacted PDF?

Untouched pages stay fully searchable. Redacted pages become images, so the text on them is no longer searchable or copyable. That is the point.

Why not just draw a black box on top?

That is "fake redaction." The hidden text remains in the PDF and tools like pdftotext can extract it. Many real-world privacy disasters happened that way. We refuse to ship that pattern.

Does it work on scanned (image) PDFs?

Yes. Scanned PDFs are already image-based, so the redaction box is simply drawn on top of the rasterized image.

Will this break a digitally signed PDF?

Yes. Flattening changes the page content, which invalidates any existing digital signature. We show a warning when we detect signature markers.

Does redaction remove document metadata?

Do not assume it does. Redaction removes the covered page content from flattened pages, but you should review document properties separately and use Edit PDF Metadata when identifying metadata also needs to be cleared.

Which quality should I choose?

Standard 150 DPI is smaller and usually sufficient for screen viewing. High 300 DPI produces sharper text and scans but can create a much larger PDF.