Redact PDF

Draw boxes over the text or images you want to hide, then save a new PDF. DocsBee rebuilds each page as a flat image, so the covered text is removed from the file and not only painted over. Your PDF stays on your device while you work.

Select PDF to redact

Drag & Drop or click to select a file

How to redact a PDF

  1. Choose your PDF. The first page opens in the viewer.
  2. Pick a mask style: blackout for black boxes, or whiteout for white boxes.
  3. Drag a box over each piece of text or each image you want to hide. Use Prev and Next to change pages. Undo removes the last box on the page.
  4. Select Apply Redactions & Download PDF. The new file is saved to your device.
  5. Open the new file and try to select or search the hidden text. You should find nothing.

Why a black box alone is not enough

Many tools only draw a black rectangle on top of the page. The words underneath are still in the file. Anyone can select them, copy them or search for them. This is a common way for private data to leak.

This tool works differently. It draws each page onto a canvas, paints your boxes on that image, and builds a new PDF from the images. The original text, links, form fields, attachments and document properties are never copied into the new file.

When people use it

  • Hiding names and addresses before you share a contract or report.
  • Covering account numbers and ID numbers on a statement, invoice or ticket.
  • Removing a signature, a face or a stamp from a scan.
  • Preparing pages for a legal or records request.

Tips and limits

  • Every page becomes an image, not only the pages you marked. You can no longer select or search text anywhere in the file.
  • The file can get bigger, because pages are stored as pictures. Compress PDF can shrink it.
  • Pages are drawn at up to twice their normal size, about 144 dpi. That is sharp on screen and fine for most printing.
  • Draw boxes a little larger than the text, so no edge of a letter shows.
  • The redaction cannot be undone in the new file. Keep your original.
  • If the PDF has a password, remove it first with Unlock PDF.
  • To have emails, phone numbers and card numbers found for you, try Smart Redaction. It lists what it finds so you can check each item first. It can miss unusual formats, so always look over the result.

Privacy: what happens to your file

Redaction happens inside your browser. Your PDF is never sent to DocsBee. Our hosting provider can see ordinary page requests, such as your IP address, but not your file.

Frequently asked questions

Does it really remove the text under the black box?

Yes. The page is turned into an image before your boxes are applied. The new PDF is built from those images, so the text underneath does not exist in it. Check for yourself: open the result and try to select or search the covered words.

Why is my redacted PDF larger?

Pages are saved as images, which take more space than text. Run the file through Compress PDF if you need a smaller one.

Can I redact only some pages?

You only need to draw boxes on the pages that need them. But every page in the new file is an image, including pages without boxes.

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

Yes. A scanned page is already a picture, so the boxes are simply drawn on it.

Can anyone get the covered text back?

Not from the new file. The covered area is only black pixels now. Anyone who has your original file still has the original text, so do not share it.