PDF Redaction Tool
Draw black boxes over sensitive content and export a genuinely redacted PDF — pages are flattened to images so no hidden text remains underneath.
How to use PDF Redaction Tool
- Open a PDF, then review each page with Prev and Next.
- Click and drag over every sensitive area to draw an opaque redaction box. Use Undo Box to remove the last box on the current page or Clear Page to remove that page’s boxes.
- Inspect all pages, then choose Export Redacted PDF and check the downloaded copy before sharing. Exported pages are flattened images, so their text is no longer searchable or selectable.
How this redaction tool works
- Your PDF is rendered page-by-page onto a canvas using pdf.js.
- You draw solid black boxes over anything sensitive.
- On export, each page — box included — is flattened into a new image-based PDF via pdf-lib, so nothing from the original page survives underneath the redaction.
Review every page before sharing a redacted PDF
Use the page controls to move through the document, draw a box over each sensitive area, and inspect the exported copy before sending it. Flattening removes the original selectable page text, which prevents text beneath a drawn box from remaining in the output. It also means the result is image-based rather than searchable, and the output may be larger than the source PDF.
Redaction is only as complete as the areas you cover. Check headers, footers, annotations, repeated names, and every page where the information appears. This tool does not automatically detect personal data or verify legal compliance; for high-stakes disclosure, follow your organization's review process and confirm the exported document contains no information you intended to remove.
Is the exported PDF still searchable/selectable text?
No — because every page becomes an image during export, this guarantees no hidden text remains, but it also means the output PDF is no longer text-searchable. That's the trade-off for genuine redaction.
Can I redact multiple pages in one PDF?
Yes. Move through the document page by page, add redaction boxes where needed, and export the reviewed pages as a new PDF.
Will the original PDF be changed?
No. The tool creates a separate redacted download in your browser. Keep the source file private and verify the exported copy before sharing it.