How to Redact a PDF (and Why a Black Box Isn't Enough)

Before you share a document, you might need to redact it: remove names, account numbers, addresses, or other personal details. The obvious approach is to draw a black box over them. It looks right, and that's the trap: in many PDFs, the text underneath is still in the file.

Why a black box doesn't work

A PDF stores its text and the shapes drawn on top of it as separate things. A black rectangle sits over the words without touching them. Anyone who selects and copies that area, searches the document, or opens it in a tool that ignores the shape can still read what's underneath.

What real redaction does

The Redact PDF tool deletes the text you select from the file's underlying content. It then checks the output to confirm the text can no longer be extracted. If that can't be verified, no file is returned, so you never get a document that only looks redacted.

How to redact a PDF

1. Open the Redact PDF tool, upload your PDF, and enter the text you want removed.
2. Review the matches found.
3. Download the redacted PDF once the removal has been verified.

Before you share a redacted file

• Redact every variation. A name might also appear as initials or in an email address.
• Check the redacted file yourself: search it for the removed text and make sure nothing turns up.
• Keep the original somewhere secure. Redaction is permanent in the output file.
• Be careful with scanned pages. The tool removes text, but on a scan the words are part of a picture, so they can still be visible after redaction. Check scanned pages by eye before you share them.