How to redact a PDF on iPhone
You don't need to install an app or pay for one to redact a PDF on an iPhone. A browser-based redactor runs right in Safari (or Chrome), and because it processes the file on-device, your document never leaves your phone.
Here's how to redact a PDF on iPhone for free.
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.
Getting your PDF into the redactor on iPhone
Open the PDF Redactly redactor in Safari, tap to choose a file, and pick your PDF from Files, iCloud Drive, or an email attachment you've saved. The detection model is small enough to run smoothly on a modern iPhone.
When you're done, the redacted PDF downloads to your phone — and because nothing was uploaded, no copy exists anywhere else.
FAQ
No. PDF Redactly runs in Safari or Chrome on iPhone — there's nothing to install, and the free tier requires no account.
No. Processing happens on your phone, in the browser. The file is never uploaded to a server.
Free, in your browser, with automatic detection. Your file never leaves your device.
Open the redactor