Redact PDF
Mark the areas to hide — the real content underneath is removed from the file and cannot be revealed by moving a black box.
Add files to start
Drag and drop files here, or
Files are processed right on your device.
Redaction areas
No redaction areas yet.
Pages with elements that cannot be edited directly are turned into images automatically and listed in the report.
0 areas
Limits: a character is removed when about 30% or more of it lies inside an area — draw areas that fully cover the text. JPEG images: only the 8×8-pixel blocks touching an area are replaced inside the compressed data, the rest is kept exactly (progressive JPEGs are re-encoded at 92% quality). Annotations touching an area are removed entirely. The result does not keep the original bookmarks, attachments, fillable form fields, structure tags or digital signatures.
Pages with elements that cannot be edited directly are turned into images (losing selectable text on that page) — the report lists which pages and why.
How to use
- Add a PDF file.
- Drag your mouse or finger over the page to mark areas.
- Choose a method: remove directly (keep text elsewhere) or turn redacted pages into images.
- Press “Redact and create file”, read the verification report, open the result to double-check, then download.
Current limits
- A black rectangle alone is NOT enough — this tool removes text glyphs (including hidden OCR text), blacks out real image pixels and clips drawings inside the area.
- JPEG images are redacted inside the compressed data: only the 8×8-pixel blocks touching an area are replaced, the rest of the image keeps its quality (no recompression); image metadata (EXIF, thumbnails) is dropped.
- Pages with elements that cannot be edited directly (complex Type3 fonts, JPEG2000/JBIG2 images…) are turned into images automatically and listed.
- Content inside file attachments is not redacted; metadata of the original document is not carried into the new file.
Frequently asked questions
Why not just draw a black box?
A black box only covers the content — the text underneath can still be copied, searched and extracted. Proper redaction removes the content itself.
How do I know it worked?
After creating the file, PDF Tool Plus re-reads the result and checks that no extractable text remains inside the areas. You should still open the file and check it yourself.