Security & Privacy

Redact a PDF

Drawing a black box is not enough — the text underneath is still there. Redaction permanently removes what is under your marks from the file before you share it, and the result is checked for leftover text.

Runs in your browser — no upload
Free — no sign-up

How to use Redact PDF

1Open the PDF you need to share.
2Mark areas to redact, or search for words and patterns such as email addresses or card numbers.
3Review the marks and apply redaction to download a sanitized copy.

Why use Redact PDF on PDF NOVA

True removal

Pages with marks are rebuilt from their image with the marked areas painted black, so the text, images and drawings under them are gone from the file.

Pattern search

Find every occurrence of a word or phrase, email addresses, phone numbers or card numbers across all pages, then review each match.

Files stay on your device

Processing happens in your browser. Your document is never uploaded to a server, so there is nothing to delete afterwards.

Processing on your device

Redact PDF processes your file in your browser on your device. The file is not uploaded for processing. Download the result to keep a permanent copy. Your active PDF is saved locally in this browser for recovery across refreshes. Close Document removes it; recovery expires after 24 hours and is cleaned up when PDF NOVA next opens. Unsaved changes are not restored.

FREE
Remove PDF Metadata
Strip author, title, software and date information from a PDF.
Launch
FREE
Protect PDF
Add a password and set printing and copying permissions.
Launch
FREE
Crop PDF
Trim margins and white space from PDF pages.
Launch
FREE
Watermark PDF
Stamp text such as CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT across pages.
Launch

Frequently asked questions

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. This tool runs entirely in your web browser using JavaScript and Web Workers. The file is read from your device, processed in memory and saved back to your device.

Is a black rectangle the same as redaction?

No. A drawn rectangle hides content visually but the text remains in the file. Redaction removes it permanently.

Can I still search the redacted pages?

Redacted pages become images, so their remaining text is no longer selectable. Run OCR PDF on the result to make the visible text searchable again. Pages without marks are not changed.

What else is removed?

Bookmarks, attachments, form fields, scripts and hidden metadata of the original are not carried over. You can choose to keep the title and author.