How to redact a PDF
- 1Choose the PDF, or drop it anywhere on this page.
- 2Drag a box over each thing to remove. It shows as a black box.
- 3Download the redacted document, and check it before you send it.
Nothing to install
It runs in the browser you already have, on a phone or a computer. There is no account to make first.
Deleted a day later
Your file is removed from our servers 24 hours after you last touch it, or sooner if you ask.
No watermark
What you download is your document and nothing else, on every plan.
Removed, not covered
Drawing a black box over text in most editors only hides it: select the area, copy, paste, and the words come back. Redaction deletes what is under the box. On PencoPDF:
- Text under the box is deleted from the file.
- Pictures under the box are blanked, pixel by pixel, including every word on a scanned page.
- Lines and shapes touching the box are removed.
- A black box marks the place, so readers can see something was taken out.
Whiteout vs redaction explains why the difference matters, with examples.
Good for
- Names, addresses and ID numbers in documents shared under data-protection rules.
- Account numbers and signatures on statements you are sending as proof.
- Court bundles, freedom-of-information responses and HR files.
- Anything on a scan that must not be read, which whiteout cannot remove.
Check before you send
- Search the downloaded file for a word you redacted. It should not be found.
- Try selecting across a black box and pasting the result somewhere. Nothing should come out.
- Check the file name, the document's title and any comments, which can carry the same information.
Undo, and the copy you keep
While the document is open, undo brings a redaction back. The file you download does not contain what was removed. Keep your original somewhere safe if you will ever need the unredacted version.
Questions
- Is it really removed?
- Yes. Text under the box is deleted and the pixels of any picture under it, including a scanned page, are blanked. Nothing is left underneath to copy or recover.
- How is this different from whiteout?
- Whiteout deletes text under the box but only covers pictures, so on a scan the original is still in the file. Redaction removes both.
- Can I undo a redaction?
- Yes, while the document is open. Once you download and close it, the removed content is gone from that copy.
- What else should I check?
- The file name, the document's title and any comments can carry the same information. Read the guide on whiteout and redaction.