About redaction
To draw black box on top text for most editors only dey cover am: the words still dey inside the file and person fit copy dem comot or reveal dem by deleting the box. Real redaction dey remove dem. This tool dey draw every page wey e touch again as picture, with your black boxes burned inside, so the text wey dey under no dey the file again. E also dey remove the document metadata, like author name and editing software, wey fit expose pass wetin you want. Search terms dey find every place wey one word or phrase show, wey safe pass to dey find am with eye; add other ways wey dem fit write am, like initials or numbers wey dem write with space and without space. The find-and-redact options dey look for common personal details by their pattern: email addresses, UK and international phone numbers, payment card numbers (we dey check dem with the card-number check digit, so other long numbers go stay), UK National Insurance numbers, UK postcodes and IBANs (we dey check dem with their check digits). The search dey run for your device, and we go show the number wey match for each one before you start. Patterns no fit catch everything, like number wey dem split across lines for strange way, so still read the result. Whole pages wey you list go change to plain black pages. Because the pages wey e touch go become pictures, the text wey remain for dem no go fit select or search again, and the file fit grow small. Pages wey no get marks go stay as dem be. Check the result well before you share: you no fit undo redaction for the saved file, and na the main point be that. For legal or regulated disclosures, make second person check the output.
Limits: one PDF for each task, reach 25 MB with free account, 200 MB for Pro and 500 MB for Business. Browser tools no get daily task limit.
Before you sign in, files fit reach 25 MB. Free account go raise am to 25 MB.
Privacy: this tool dey run inside your browser finish; the file no go ever comot from your device. Nothing dey upload, so the information wey you dey remove no dey ever reach us.
How to use the PDF tools: Step-by-step help with every tool, limits and your files.
Redact PDF: questions wey people dey ask
The redacted text don really comot?
Yes. Pages wey get redactions dey draw again as pictures with the black boxes burn inside, so the text wey dey under no dey inside the file again.
Why I no fit select text for some pages again?
We draw those pages again as pictures to remove the redacted text. Run OCR PDF on the result if you need searchable text again.
Redaction dey remove hidden information too?
Yes. Metadata like author and software details go comot. To clear metadata without redacting, use Remove metadata.
I fit undo redaction?
No for the redacted file. Keep your original if you fit need the full text later.
E fit find email addresses and phone numbers for me?
Yes. Tick Email addresses, Phone numbers, Payment card numbers, UK National Insurance numbers, UK postcodes or IBANs, and every one wey match go black out together with any words wey you type. You go see how many we find before you press Redact.