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Redact PDF

Permanently black out names, numbers and other sensitive text in a PDF. Redacted pages are rebuilt so the hidden text is really gone.
Click to select a file or drag and drop it here.

On your device
Browse Tools
Drag on the page to black out an area
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Settings
No areas marked yet.
True redaction: pages with a black box are rebuilt as images with the boxes burnt in, so the covered text is gone from the file. Other pages stay as they were.
  • On your device
  • Max 200 MB per file
  • Works offline after first use
  • Usually a few seconds, very large files up to a minute
  • Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop, Android and iPhone.
  • Works offline after first use
  • Pages with a redaction are rebuilt as images, so their text is no longer selectable. Pages without boxes keep their text.
  • Trust Center

About Redact PDF

Drawing a black box over text in most editors only hides it: the text is still in the file and can be copied out. This tool performs true redaction. Pages that carry a redaction are rebuilt as images with the boxes burnt in, so the covered text, vectors and images no longer exist in the PDF.

How to use Redact PDF

  1. Add your PDF.
  2. Search for words to mark every occurrence, or drag boxes over areas.
  3. Check each page, then download the redacted PDF.

Good to know

  • Runs on your device: the file is not uploaded to Quickaboo.
  • Pages without redactions are kept exactly as they were.
  • Document properties such as author and title can be removed at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Every page with a box is rebuilt as an image with the box burnt in, so the original text on that page is not in the new file.

Because those pages are rebuilt as images, which is what guarantees the hidden text is gone. Other pages keep their selectable text.

Search needs real text. On scanned pages, draw the boxes by hand.

On your device. The tool runs inside your browser, so your files are not uploaded to Quickaboo.

200 MB per file. Usually a few seconds, very large files up to a minute. Very large files need more memory, so phones may handle less than computers.

Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop, Android and iPhone.

Pages with a redaction are rebuilt as images, so their text is no longer selectable. Pages without boxes keep their text.

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