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How to redact a PDF properly

This one matters more than people realise. Drawing a black rectangle over text in most editors does not delete anything - the words are still in the file, and anyone can select, copy or search them. Real redaction has to remove the underlying content.

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Step by step

  1. Open the documentDrop your PDF into the editor. It is processed locally, which is what you want for sensitive documents.
  2. Choose the Redact toolPick Redact from the toolbar - the black-box icon.
  3. Cover what must goDrag a box over each piece of sensitive content: names, account numbers, addresses, signatures.
  4. DownloadOn export, every page containing a redaction is rasterised, so the covered text is genuinely gone from the file - not merely hidden beneath a shape.
Your file stays on your device. PDFree runs entirely in your browser - the PDF is never uploaded to a server, so private documents stay private.

Common questions

Why is a black rectangle not enough?

Because the text stays in the PDF underneath it. Selecting the area, copying it, or running text extraction reveals it instantly. It is a common and serious data leak.

How do I check my redaction worked?

Open the exported file and try to select the redacted area. If nothing can be selected, the text is gone.

Does redaction change the rest of the document?

Only pages containing a redaction are flattened. Other pages keep their selectable text.

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