How to redact a PDF
Redacting a PDF means blacking out parts of the document for good: the content underneath is removed from the file, not merely covered. On BestPDFInTheWorld it takes three steps: choose the file, drag over the areas you want covered with a mouse or a finger, and download the result. The pages where you mark anything become images, rebuilt without the text layer, there is nothing underneath for anyone to copy. All processing runs in your browser, and the file never leaves your computer. This tool is part of the Premium subscription, EUR 1.99 a month, which removes the limits on every tool and adds OCR. Sign PDF opens on the free plan, with one signature a day.
Verified 2026-08-12
- Three steps, nothing to install: choose the file, mark the areas, download.
- Real redaction: the marked pages become images and the covered text no longer exists in the file, a black rectangle on top is not enough.
- Pages you do not mark stay exactly as they were, and at the end the tool tells you which pages were converted.
- No uploads: all processing runs in the browser, start to finish, and your files never leave your computer.
- This tool is part of the Premium subscription, EUR 1.99 a month, which removes the limits on every tool and adds OCR. Sign PDF opens on the free plan, with one signature a day.
How to redact a PDF, step by step
Redacting a PDF takes under a minute, in three steps:
- Open the Redact PDF tool and drag the file into the window, or click to pick it.
- Drag over the areas you want covered, on each page, there is also a button to cover a whole page.
- Download the PDF with the areas blacked out and the content underneath removed.
Nothing to install, no account and no upload wait: the processing runs on your computer, start to finish. At the end, the tool tells you which pages were converted.
Redacting is not hiding: the difference between covering and removing
A black rectangle drawn over text is not redaction. In a PDF, the rectangle is just one more object on top: the text it covers is still in the file, exactly where it was, and comes out with Ctrl+A or with any text extractor. That is how real, public leaks happened in court and government documents: the screen showed black, the file held everything.
This tool does it differently: it draws the page as it is seen, paints opaque rectangles over that drawing, and rebuilds the page from the resulting image. The page has no text layer at all, there is nothing underneath to recover.
Marked pages become images
Real redaction requires rasterising: the pages where you mark anything become images, so they lose selectable text, stop being searchable and the file gets bigger. That is the price of the covered content truly leaving the file.
Pages you do not mark stay exactly as they were: mark two lines on page 3 of a forty-page contract and the other thirty-nine stay as text, searchable and light. If what you need is exporting pages as images without covering anything, use the Extract images tool.
Tips for redacting PDFs
- Mark at least one area. The tool refuses a run with no marks: it would return a document with all the conversion cost and nothing covered, the worst possible outcome.
- The preview shows the mark slightly translucent on purpose. It lets you confirm you covered the right spot; in the final file the rectangle is opaque black and what was underneath is gone.
- File came out bigger? Pick a lower image quality. A page as an image takes more space than the same page as text; the lower quality reduces the size at the cost of sharpness, and unmarked pages do not grow.
- Need to search the document after redacting? Search the original first, or keep both versions, redacted pages stop being searchable, and that is the expected behaviour.
- Documents over sixty pages. Above that limit the tool does not draw every page, to save memory in the tab; split the document first and redact the part that matters.
- Metadata is cleared, XMP is not. The output file loses the title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer; some programs write a parallel XMP block that this tool does not remove. To clear or change metadata on other PDFs, use Edit metadata.
- You can sign afterwards. The cleaned document goes on to signing with the Sign PDF tool, without leaving the browser.
Is redacting PDFs free? What are the limits?
No. This tool is part of the Premium subscription, EUR 1.99 a month, which removes the limits on every tool and adds OCR. Sign PDF opens on the free plan, with one signature a day. You can open the tool at Redact PDF and try it right away.
| Plan | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Only Sign PDF opens without paying, with one signature a day and files up to 10 MB. |
| Premium (EUR 1.99/month) | This tool is part of the subscription: no limits anywhere, plus OCR and larger batches. |
Questions about redacting a PDF.
I drew a black rectangle over the text. Is it covered now?
No. In a PDF, the rectangle is just one more object drawn on top: the text is still in the file and comes out with Ctrl+A or any extractor. To redact for real, the page has to be rebuilt from the image, with no text layer underneath.
Can what was covered be recovered?
Not from the output file, and that is the point. Keep the original if you still need it: we keep nothing, because nothing is sent.
Do the pages I marked lose their text?
Yes, and that is expected: they become images. They lose selectable text, stop being searchable and the file gets bigger. The pages you did not mark stay exactly as they were.
The file came out bigger than the original. Is that normal?
It is expected: a page as an image takes more space than the same page as text. You can pick a lower image quality in the form, which reduces size at the cost of sharpness, unmarked pages do not grow.
Do I need an account to redact?
Yes. The account (magic link, no password) is needed for the subscription. This tool is part of the Premium subscription, EUR 1.99 a month, which removes the limits on every tool and adds OCR. Sign PDF opens on the free plan, with one signature a day.
Does it also clear the metadata?
It clears the document property fields: title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer. Some programs write a parallel XMP block that this tool does not remove, and saying so is more honest than promising a full wipe.
Are my files kept on your servers?
No. Nothing is sent: the processing runs in your browser, start to finish, and nothing is kept outside your computer.
Keep reading
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How to compress a PDF
Step by step to reduce a PDF's weight in three steps: choose the file, choose the level and download. With three compression levels, no account and nothing sent to a server.
How to password protect a PDF
Step by step to encrypt a PDF with a password (AES-128) so that nobody without it can open the file, without uploading anything.
Need it covered,
and to stay covered?
Open the tool and try it. Nothing to install, nothing sent anywhere.
Open Redact