FastHan / PDF Tools / Redact PDF Online Free
REDACT PDF
Redact PDF Online Free
Black out sensitive words for good — they can never be searched again.
100% private — processed in your browser
Your files are processed locally in your browser with JavaScript. They are never uploaded to a server. You can verify this yourself: open your browser DevTools, go to the Network tab, and watch — no file data leaves your device.
How to redact a PDF properly
Drawing a black box over a name is not redaction: the text is still underneath, and anyone can copy it out. Real redaction removes the text itself. This tool does it properly: type the words or phrases to remove, and it finds them in the PDF text layer, covers them with black boxes, and rebuilds each page as an image — so the redacted text is truly gone, not just hidden.
Drop a PDF, type one word or phrase per line, and press Redact PDF. Matches are found anywhere in a word, case-insensitive, and the result downloads as a fresh PDF with the same page count and page sizes.
Two honest limits you must know. First, this only works on PDFs with a text layer — a scanned PDF has no text to search, so nothing can be found. Second, because pages are rebuilt as images, NO text on those pages stays selectable or searchable afterwards — not just the redacted words. The file also gets bigger. That is the price of text that is really gone. Check the result before sharing it: redaction cannot be undone.
Everything runs in your browser, so the document never leaves your device. There is no daily limit.
How to use this tool
- 1Drop a PDF file onto the page.
- 2Type the words or phrases to redact, one per line.
- 3Press Redact PDF, check the result, then download it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the text really gone, or just covered?
Really gone. Each page is rebuilt as an image with the matches blacked out, so there is no text layer left to search or copy — not for the redacted words, and not for any other text on those pages.
Why can I no longer select any text in the result?
Because the pages are now images. That is what makes the redaction real: a black rectangle drawn over live text can be removed, but an image of a black rectangle cannot be undone. The trade-off is that no text stays searchable.
My PDF is a scan. Can I redact it?
Not by typing words — a scan has no text layer to search. This tool will find nothing to redact. Scanned pages would need hand-drawn black boxes, which this tool does not offer.
Does it match parts of words?
Yes. Matches are found anywhere in a word and are case-insensitive, so "smith" also matches "Smithson". Type full names or numbers to avoid blacking out more than you meant.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Redaction happens entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.