Redact PDF free
Hide personal or confidential information before you share a PDF. Draw boxes over anything, or type words to find and black out automatically.
- 100% freeNo sign-up, no watermark
- PrivateFiles never leave your device
- FastRuns instantly in your browser
- Any deviceMac, Windows, iPhone, Android
How to redact pdf online
Three steps, no learning curve.
- 1
Add your PDF.
- 2
Drag boxes over what you want to hide, or type the words to black out.
- 3
Click Redact PDF and download the cleaned file.
Why use this Redact PDF tool
- Draw boxes on any page
- Find and black out words automatically
- True redaction — hidden text is removed
- Black or white boxes
Real redaction, not just a black box
Drawing a black rectangle in a normal PDF editor only covers the text — anyone can still select and copy what's underneath. This tool flattens every page you redact into an image with the boxes burned in, so the hidden text is gone for good.
When to redact
Remove account numbers from bank statements, ID numbers from scans, salaries from contracts, patients' or clients' names from case files, or addresses before you post a document online. Pages you don't redact stay exactly as they were.
Private by design
Redacting means the document is sensitive — so uploading it to a website defeats the point. Here everything happens inside your browser and the file never leaves your device.
Get ilovepdfmac for Mac
The ilovepdfmac app lets you mark up, edit and protect sensitive PDFs entirely offline on your Mac. Plus Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDF, a full PDF editor and real compression — all offline.
Redact PDF FAQ
Still stuck? Email shubhranshukhatua@gmail.com
Can the redacted text be recovered?+
No. Each redacted page is rebuilt as an image with the boxes burned in, so there's no text left underneath to copy, search or restore.
Will the rest of my PDF change?+
Only pages with redactions are flattened. All other pages keep their text, links and quality exactly as they were.
How does the word search work?+
Type words or numbers separated by commas — for example “John Smith, 555-0134”. Every match is blacked out on every page, ignoring upper and lower case. Words split across two lines are best covered with a drawn box.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?+
Yes, by drawing boxes. Word search needs real text, so run OCR PDF first if you want to search a scan.
Is this tool really free?+
Yes. No sign-up, no watermark, no daily limits. It's free because it runs on your own device.
Are my files uploaded to a server?+
No. Your files are processed entirely inside your browser and never leave your device. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads.
Is it safe for confidential documents?+
Yes. Because nothing is uploaded, contracts, bank statements, IDs and medical records stay on your device. There's no server copy that could be stored, shared or leaked.
Do I need to create an account or install anything?+
No. Open the page and use the tool — no account, no email, no extension and no download.
How large can my files be?+
There's no fixed limit. Because the work happens on your device, the practical limit is your browser's memory — files of a few hundred MB usually work fine on a laptop. Very large files are faster in the Mac app.
Which browsers are supported?+
Any modern browser: Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Brave and Opera, on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android.
Will my file have a watermark?+
No. Your result is exactly what you made — no watermark, no added pages and no branding.
Is there a desktop app?+
Yes — ilovepdfmac for Mac does all of this and much more (Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDF, a full PDF editor, real compression) offline, for a one-time $9.99.