Redact a PDF (permanent black boxes)
A black rectangle drawn on top of text is not redaction — anyone can select the text underneath or delete the box. This tool does it properly: drag over the areas to hide and every affected page is rebuilt as a flat image with those areas painted black, so the hidden content no longer exists in the file. Ideal for sharing contracts, medical records, bank statements or IDs. And because everything happens in your browser, the un-redacted original never leaves your device.
How to use the Redact PDF tool
Select or drag your PDF — a page preview appears.
Drag over each area to hide. Switch pages and mark as many as you need.
Click “Redact PDF” and download the clean file.
Your files stay on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. There is no upload step and no server processing — open your network panel and check: zero document data is transmitted. It even keeps working offline once the page has loaded.
Frequently asked questions
Can the redacted text be recovered?
No. Pages with marked areas are converted into images with those areas painted black before the original page is discarded, so the text underneath is not in the file any more — it can’t be selected, searched or extracted.
Why does the whole page become an image?
That is what makes the redaction real: the original text layer of that page is dropped entirely. Unmarked pages stay untouched (text remains selectable). If you need searchable text again, run the redacted file through OCR.
Does it remove hidden information like the author name?
With “Also remove document metadata” ticked (the default), the title, author, subject and keywords are cleared too — common leaks when sharing documents.
Is it safe to use this tool with confidential documents?
Yes — and verifiably so. PDFAgent has no upload step: your file is processed by JavaScript running in your own browser and never leaves your device. You can open your browser’s network panel (or even go offline after loading the page) and confirm that no document data is transmitted.