PDF Redactor

Black out a name or account number so it is gone from the page, not a box someone can delete

100% free. Runs entirely in your browser - your files and data never leave your device and nothing is uploaded to any server.

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Drop a PDF. Max 25 MB. Redacted pages are flattened so the hidden text cannot be copied.

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About this tool

Drawing a black box in a normal PDF editor often leaves the original words in the file. Anyone can copy or search them. True redaction flattens each page to an image after the boxes are painted, so the hidden text is gone. This tool does that in your browser for files up to 20 pages and 25 MB. Use it for account numbers, faces in a scan, or a National Insurance / SSN snippet before you email a PDF.

How to use this tool

  1. Open the PDFCap is 20 pages / 25 MB so the flatten stays reliable on a laptop.
  2. Paint black boxesMark every region that must disappear. Check every page - redaction is permanent.
  3. Download the flattened PDFPages are rasterised so the original text layer cannot be recovered from this file.

Key features

  • Flattened pages, not fake black rectangles over live text.
  • Runs locally - the document is not stored on a server.
  • Clear size cap so phones do not freeze mid-job.

Common uses

  • Blacking out an account number on a US bank PDF.
  • Removing a UK National Insurance number from a form scan.

Tips for better results

  • Zoom in. A missed digit is still searchable if you only cover the label.
  • After download, try selecting text in a reader - it should not copy the redacted words.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Using highlight or a black shape in the live PDF editor and calling it redaction.
  • Redacting a copy while emailing the original.

Frequently asked questions

Yes in the practical sense: each page is painted then flattened to an image, so the original glyphs are not in the download. It is not a classified-document workflow with forensic certificates.

The editor keeps a live text layer for annotations. That is the opposite of redaction. This dedicated tool exists so we do not break editing.

20 pages and 25 MB. Split a longer file first.

Not from the downloaded file if you covered the region. Keep your own unredacted original in a safe place.

No. Rasterisation uses PDF.js and a canvas in your browser.

People also search for

  • redact pdf online
  • black out pdf text
  • remove ssn from pdf

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