Redact PDF – Black Out Sensitive Info
Before you share it, permanently black out IBANs, names, phone numbers and other details; the text under the box is really deleted from the file.
- PDF→ becomes PDF ■
- Up to 25 MB
- No sign-up
- Really deleted
20 Redact PDF
- 01 Pick
- 02 Process
- 03 Download
HTTPS · deleted after about 10 min
You opened this inside an app. To download without trouble, use the ••• menu and pick Open in browser.
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Uploading your file
Result
Redacted.
0areas redacted
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Separate with commas; up to 20 terms. Every page is searched.
- No account, no cost.
- Redacted text isn't just covered; it's removed from the file.
- Your file is deleted about 10 minutes after processing.
Stages
- Uploading your file
- Checking the file
- Removing the information
- Finishing touches
You stop waiting; the copy on the server deletes itself.
Self-destructs in 10:00
Then it's permanently deleted from the server. Download it now.
What's next?
Shrink it before you send itPDF→ becomes PDF- Encrypted HTTPS transfer
- Deleted after about 10 minutes
- Free, no sign-up
Drag over the part you want to redact to draw a box; you can move the box and resize it from its corner. Keyboard: go to the page and press Enter, move with the arrow keys, resize with Shift+arrow, remove with Delete.
Preparing the page…
This PDF is encrypted; to preview and process it, you need to unlock it first. If you know the password: Unlock PDF
01
Why isn't redacting a PDF the same as drawing a black box?
When sharing a tenancy agreement, a payslip or a bank statement, most people draw black boxes over the sensitive parts. But a box drawn with an ordinary PDF editor is only a cover: the text underneath stays in the file and can be read by copying and pasting or by moving the box aside.
The Redact PDF tool does real redaction: the text, image pixels and drawings under the area you mark are deleted from the file and replaced with a black area. After saving, each area is checked again to make sure no readable text is left underneath; if the check fails, you don't get the file.
You can mark areas on the page by hand, type the words to redact, or have IBANs, email addresses, Turkish ID numbers and Turkish phone numbers found automatically. IBANs and Turkish ID numbers are recognised as real numbers whose check digits add up, not as random strings of digits.
02
How to redact a PDF in 3 steps
Upload your PDF: Drag your file into the area above or click to select it (up to 25 MB).
Choose what to redact: Drag on the page to draw boxes, type the words to redact or tick the options for IBANs, email addresses, Turkish ID numbers and phone numbers.
Download: Click “Redact permanently”; the PDF with the information removed is downloaded.
03
When is it useful?
Identity details: Hiding ID and passport numbers, dates of birth and home addresses when sharing a tenancy agreement or an official document.
Bank documents: Blacking out the IBAN, balance and transaction lines on a bank statement or payment receipt.
Payslips and work papers: Hiding your salary and personal details on a payslip you attach to an application.
GDPR: Removing personal data that isn't needed before sharing customer or employee documents with third parties.
Instead of a photo: Sharing a clean PDF with selectable text instead of photographing the document and painting over it.
04
How does it work, and what are the limits?
Really deleted: The text under the area, that part of any images and any drawings are removed from the file; they can't be found by copying and pasting or by searching.
Checked: In the saved file, the area under each redaction is read again; if any text is left, you don't get the file.
Form fields and comments: Form fields and comment notes that overlap a redacted area are deleted too. If you like, the document info (author, title, creating program) is cleared as well.
Automatic detection: Finds IBANs (validated with mod-97), email addresses, Turkish ID numbers (TC Kimlik, with check digits) and Turkish phone numbers. Other countries' ID and phone numbers aren't detected automatically; type them as words or mark them on the page. Automatic detection is a helper, so check the result before sharing.
Scanned documents: In scanned PDFs without a text layer, word and automatic search don't work; mark the areas on the page by hand, and the pixels in those areas are deleted.
Limits: Up to 25 MB and 5,000 pages per file; up to 300 marked areas and 20 terms of 2–100 characters each. For encrypted PDFs, use the Unlock PDF tool first.
05
Privacy and automatic deletion
Your files are sent to our server over an encrypted HTTPS connection. The original file you upload is deleted as soon as processing finishes. The result file is kept only briefly so you can download it: an automatic clean-up job runs every minute and permanently deletes files older than 10 minutes. We therefore recommend downloading your result as soon as it is ready.
The download link only works for the user or browser session that started the job, and your files are never shared with other users. Our job log stores only details such as the file name, size and type of operation, never the file itself.
06
Frequently Asked Questions
Is redacting a PDF free?
Yes. The tool is free and works without an account. Guests have a 24-hour usage allowance per tool; a free account lets you process more files.
How is this different from drawing a black box?
An ordinary box only covers the content; the text underneath stays in the file and can be copied. This tool deletes the text, image pixels and drawings under the area from the file, and after saving it checks again that no text is left underneath.
Can redacted information be recovered?
No. The deleted text and pixels aren't in the new file, so there's no way to get them back. That's why you should keep your original PDF and share the redacted copy.
Which details can it find automatically?
IBANs from any country (only numbers with valid check digits), email addresses, Turkish ID numbers (11 digits with a valid checksum; random 11-digit numbers are left alone) and Turkish phone numbers. For other ID or phone numbers, type them in the “Redact these words” box or mark them on the page.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Partly. Scanned pages have no text layer, so word and automatic search find nothing; if you mark the areas on the page by hand, the pixels in those areas are deleted.
Are my files stored?
No. Your uploaded PDF is deleted from the server as soon as processing finishes; the redacted PDF is kept only so you can download it and is deleted automatically within about 10 minutes.