How to redact medical records in a PDF
Sharing a medical record — for a second opinion, a claim, a legal matter, or research — usually means removing patient identifiers first. Uploading protected health information to a random online tool is exactly the kind of disclosure you're trying to avoid.
Redacting locally, in your browser, keeps the record on your device while you strip the identifiers. Here's how.
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.
What to remove from a medical record
Common identifiers include patient name, date of birth, address, phone number, medical record number (MRN), insurance/member IDs, and provider details where appropriate. PDF Redactly auto-detects names, dates of birth, phone numbers, addresses, and medical record numbers, and ships a Medical industry pack (on Pro) that adds patterns specific to clinical documents.
Why local processing matters here
Because PDF Redactly never uploads the file, the protected information isn't transmitted to or stored by a third party at any point. The redactions are permanent in the output PDF, so the de-identified copy can be shared safely.
FAQ
It's safe when the file isn't uploaded. PDF Redactly processes the record entirely in your browser, so protected information is never sent to a server.
Yes — names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and medical record numbers are auto-detected, and the Medical industry pack on Pro adds clinical-specific patterns.
Free, in your browser, with automatic detection. Your file never leaves your device.
Open the redactor