Redact a PDF
Choose a PDF, drag over what must not be seen and download the copy. What was under each box is gone from the file, not hidden under a rectangle.
How it works
- Add your PDFDrag in or select the PDF file you want to work with.
- Draw boxes over what to hideDrag on the page over each name, number or signature. «Whole page» covers the page you are on with one box.
- Download the redacted copyPress Redact PDF, then download. Pages with a box are saved as pictures; the other pages stay as they are.
Save and continue on the desktop
Download or copy your result here first. Open the free desktop to save to Files or use more features.
- Merge, split, sign and compress PDFs
- Save to Files when you continue on the desktop
- Every tool in one place, no new tabs
After you download, continue on the desktop for Files or the full app.
What Redact PDF can do
Covered is not removed
A black rectangle drawn in most editors sits on top of the text: copy the page, search it, or open the file in another app, and the account number is still there. Here the page with a box is redrawn as a picture with the box painted in, so the covered text is not in the file at all. Pages without a box are copied as they were.
What it costs
A redrawn page is a picture: its remaining text can no longer be selected, searched or read aloud by a screen reader. That is the price of a box that really removes what it covers, and it applies only to the pages you marked. Small print stays sharp: pages are redrawn at about 200 dpi.
Check before you send
Page through the copy and look at every box: a box that misses half a line leaves half a line. The document’s own details (author, title, dates, attached files, form fields) are not carried over to the redacted copy. Names in the file name are yours to change.
Related apps
Questions
Can the redacted text be recovered?
No. On a page with a box, nopa keeps only the picture of the page with the box painted in; the text, fonts and drawing commands of that page are not in the copy.
Is the download really free?
Yes. No account, no trial and no watermark of ours on the file: it is made in your browser, and you can save it as many times as you like.
Can I black out a whole page?
Yes. «Whole page» covers the page you are on with one box, which is also the way to redact without drawing.
Why can’t I select text on some pages afterwards?
Those are the pages with a box: they became pictures, which is what removes the covered text. Pages without a box keep their text.
Does it work on scanned documents?
Yes. A scan is already a picture, so nothing changes about it except the boxes.
Is my file sent anywhere?
No. The pages are redrawn in your browser, on this device; nopa has no server that could receive the file.