Permanently Black Out Sensitive Text in a PDF
Black out and permanently flatten sensitive areas.
Select a PDF to redact
Draw boxes over anything you want permanently removed
Click to choose, or drop a file here
You can also paste (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V)
Most tools run entirely on your device
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About redacting a PDF
Redaction permanently removes sensitive text and images — account numbers, names, addresses — before a document is shared or filed. Done properly, the content is gone, not just hidden under a black box.
PDFCure draws the redaction boxes and then rebuilds the page so the covered content is actually removed from the file, in your browser. Always verify the result: open the downloaded file and try to select or search the text you redacted. Because the tool runs locally, the unredacted original is never uploaded.
Redaction permanently removes sensitive text and images — account numbers, names, addresses — before a document is shared or filed. The tool draws the boxes and then rebuilds the page so the covered content is actually deleted from the file, not just hidden under a black rectangle you could drag away.
Supported files
Accepts a single PDF. Produces a redacted PDF with the marked content removed.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The redaction and page rebuild happen in your browser, so the unredacted original is never uploaded. Always verify: open the downloaded file and try to select or search the text you redacted.
Common problems
- How do I know the text is really gone?
- Open the downloaded PDF, then press Ctrl/Cmd+F and search for the redacted text, and try to select it with the cursor. If nothing is found or selectable, it's removed.
- I redacted a scan — is that safe?
- Yes. On a scanned page the tool paints over and re-flattens the image so the pixels underneath are gone, not just hidden.
How to Redact PDF
- 1
Open the tool
Open the Redact PDF tool and drop your file onto the page, or click to browse for it. Everything runs in your browser — the file is never uploaded.
- 2
Box out the sensitive parts
Drag a box over every piece of text or image you need to hide.
- 3
Apply and download
Click Apply — the areas are permanently burned out — and download the redacted PDF.
Further reading
Redact PDF — frequently asked questions
Is redacted content really removed, or just covered with a black box?+
Really removed. The page is rendered as a flattened image with the box burned in, so there's no text layer left underneath to copy or search.
Can I undo a redaction after downloading?+
No — once applied and downloaded, the redaction is permanent for that file. Keep your original if you might need it again.
Is there a free way to permanently black out sensitive text in a PDF?+
Yes — this tool flattens the redaction into the page so nothing underneath can be recovered, free and entirely in your browser.
Can I mark more than one area per page?+
Yes — mark as many redaction boxes as you need, on any page, before applying them all at once.
Do you upload my files to a server?+
No — every tool here processes your files entirely on your device, and nothing is uploaded to a server. The only exception is the AI tools, which send the extracted text (not the file) to Claude to do their work.
Is there a file size limit?+
There's no artificial limit we impose, but since processing happens in your browser, very large files (500+ MB or 1,000+ pages) are limited by your device's memory rather than by us.
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