Can the covered text be brought back later?

A redacted page is saved as a picture with the boxes painted black, so the text under a box is not in the saved file. Pages without boxes, and everything outside the boxes, stay as they are.

Can I search or copy text on a redacted page?

No. A redacted page is a picture, not text, so even the text outside the boxes cannot be selected or searched.

Does it change my original PDF?

No. The redacted PDF is saved as a new file, and the original stays as it is.

Redact · Pegmo

Redact PDF

Drop a file here

Draw the areas to cover on a page. That page is turned into a picture with the areas painted solid black. Your file never leaves this device.

PDF

How to use Redact

What it does

Draw boxes over the areas to cover on a page, and that page is rebuilt as a picture with the box areas painted solid black. It does not lay a black shape over the text; it saves the page as a picture. You draw the areas yourself.

Step by step

Drop a PDF onto the screen, or click to choose one.
Drag on the page to draw a box over each area to cover. You can draw several on one page. Select a box and use “Delete selected” or the Delete key to remove it.
If there are several pages, change page in the “Choose a page to redact” list. Each page shows “N covered” or “Nothing covered”.
Under “Options”, decide on “Also clear document info”. It starts on.
Click “Redact”.
Click “Save”. The file name is the original name with “-redacted” added.

Good to know

Only pages where you drew a box become pictures. The text on those pages can no longer be selected or searched, and the resolution is at most 150 dpi. Pages without boxes are left as they are.
The boxes look see-through on screen, but they are painted solid black when you save. The text and pictures under a box are not kept in the saved file.
With “Also clear document info” on, the title, author, subject, keywords and the program that made the file are emptied. When it is off, the original document info stays in the file.
A PDF that is password-protected or damaged cannot be opened. The file is processed in your browser and is not uploaded to a server.
Click “Keep going” to pass the redacted PDF straight on to another tool.

Frequently asked questions

Can the covered text be brought back later?: A redacted page is saved as a picture with the boxes painted black, so the text under a box is not in the saved file. Pages without boxes, and everything outside the boxes, stay as they are.
Can I search or copy text on a redacted page?: No. A redacted page is a picture, not text, so even the text outside the boxes cannot be selected or searched.
Does it change my original PDF?: No. The redacted PDF is saved as a new file, and the original stays as it is.