Blackout Text in PDF — True Redaction, Not Just a Black Box
Many people think blacking out text in a PDF hides the information.
Start Redacting for Free →The Problem with Just Drawing Black Boxes in PDFs
Many people think blacking out text in a PDF hides the information. But if you just draw a black rectangle, the text underneath is still in the file — anyone can select it, copy it, or remove the overlay. Our free tool creates true permanent blackouts: the underlying text is permanently deleted from the PDF file structure.
- A black rectangle drawn over text is just a visual layer — the text underneath remains fully accessible
- Anyone can select all, copy, and paste to reveal everything 'blacked out' in the document
- PDF editors and developer tools can trivially remove overlay shapes to expose the original content
- True redaction deletes the source text from the PDF file so there is nothing left to reveal
How to Redact — 3 Simple Steps
Open Your PDF
Select the PDF containing text to black out — it stays in your browser, never uploaded.
Draw Redaction Boxes
Click and drag to draw precise redaction boxes over any text or image. Resize and position them exactly where needed.
Download with True Blackouts
Download your PDF — text under blackout areas is permanently deleted, not just covered.
Key Features
🔒 Your Files Never Leave Your Device
Unlike tools that upload your PDFs to remote servers, our tool processes everything locally in your browser using WebAssembly. No server ever sees your documents — not even us. This makes it one of the most private PDF tools available, completely free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from using a black shape in a PDF editor?
A black shape is just decoration on top of the text. Our tool uses MuPDF to permanently delete the underlying text data from the PDF file structure — it cannot be uncovered.
Can someone undo the blackouts?
No — the redacted content is permanently deleted. There is no layer to remove, no undo, and the text cannot be recovered by any means.
Can I blackout images as well as text?
Yes — redaction boxes work on any area of the page including images, signatures, stamps, and handwriting.
Is there a limit on how many blackouts I can apply?
No limits — apply as many redaction boxes as needed before downloading.
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Free, instant, private — no account or software required.
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