Hide Sensitive Information in a PDF
Black out, blur, or pixelate confidential text, numbers, or images — then download a PDF that permanently hides them. Also known as redacting a PDF.
How it works
- 1 Upload your PDF document below
- 2 Choose the page and draw a box over anything you want to hide
- 3 Pick a style — black, white, blur, or pixelate
- 4 Click "Apply Redaction" and download the secured PDF
Need more detail? Read the full guide on hiding sensitive information in a PDF.
Redact PDF Online — Permanently Hide Confidential Information
Use this tool to black out, blur, or pixelate sensitive text, numbers, signatures, or images in a PDF before you share it. Unlike simply drawing a box over text in a PDF viewer, this tool removes the underlying content from the page — so it can't be recovered by copying text, editing the file, or zooming into a blurred region.
Why redact a PDF?
- Remove Social Security numbers, account numbers, and personal details
- Black out confidential contract terms before sharing externally
- Blur or pixelate faces, signatures, or photos
- Anonymize documents for legal, medical, or research use
Privacy & security
Your file is processed on a secure server and deleted automatically within minutes. Redaction is permanent — the covered content is removed from the page data, not just hidden underneath a shape.
Important considerations
- Black is the most secure style. It leaves no visual trace of what was underneath. Blur and pixelate keep a hint of the original (useful for photos or signatures) while still permanently deleting the underlying data.
- Redaction can't be undone after download. Once you apply it and download the result, the covered content is gone from that file for good — keep your original, unredacted PDF if you might need the information again later.
- You draw the boxes yourself. This tool doesn't automatically detect sensitive information like names or numbers — you position each redaction box manually over what needs to be hidden, so double-check every page before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the hidden content really gone, or just covered up?
Really gone. The text or image data inside each redaction box is deleted from the page itself, not just hidden beneath a black shape — it can't be recovered by selecting text, copying, or editing the PDF.
Which style should I use — black, white, blur, or pixelate?
Black is the most secure and the default choice. White works better on forms with a light background. Blur and pixelate are useful when you want to obscure something like a face or signature while keeping a visual sense that something was there.
Can I redact multiple pages at once?
Yes. Navigate between pages using Previous/Next and add redaction boxes on as many pages as you need — everything is applied together when you click "Apply Redaction & Download."
Does this automatically find sensitive information for me?
No. You draw each redaction box yourself over the text or image you want removed — there's no automatic detection of names, numbers, or other sensitive data.