How to black out text in a PDF
"Blacking out" text in a PDF sounds simple, but there's a catch: in most basic editors the black box is just a drawing on top of the text. The words are still in the file, and anyone can select them, copy them, or move the box.
To black out text so it's actually gone, you need true redaction — which removes the underlying characters. Here's how to do it for free, in your browser.
Step by step
- 1Open the redactor — nothing to install
Go to the PDF Redactly redactor in any modern browser (desktop or phone). There's no app to download and no account needed to start.
- 2Drop your PDF onto the page
Drag the file in or click to choose it. It loads straight into the browser tab — there is no upload endpoint, so the document never travels to a server.
- 3Let auto-detection find the sensitive data
PDF Redactly scans the document and flags 30+ categories — names, SSNs, emails, phone numbers, account numbers, dates of birth, and more — so you don't have to find every instance by hand.
- 4Review and adjust
Add your own phrases to redact everywhere they appear, click any word on the page to mark it, or drag the edge of a redaction box to extend or shrink it. You stay in control of every redaction.
- 5Apply and download
Applying the redactions destroys the underlying text and image data inside each box in the output PDF — it isn't just visually covered. Copy-paste from the saved file reveals nothing.
Covered vs. removed
A drawn rectangle covers; redaction removes. PDF Redactly applies real redaction: when you apply, the text and image data inside each box are destroyed in the exported PDF. There's nothing underneath to recover.
You can black out automatically detected fields, click any word to black it out, or type a phrase to black it out everywhere it appears.
FAQ
Not with real redaction. PDF Redactly destroys the underlying data, so deleting the box (or copy-pasting) reveals nothing in the saved file.
Yes. Add it as a custom phrase and every occurrence across the document is redacted at once.
Free, in your browser, with automatic detection. Your file never leaves your device.
Open the redactor