Is drawing a black box enough to redact a PDF?

Not always. A visual box can leave the original text underneath. This tool flattens redacted pages on export so the marked content is not simply hidden.

Should I verify the redacted file before sharing it?

Yes. You should always review the exported file before sending it, especially for sensitive legal, medical, financial, or internal documents.

pdfdivider.com

Redact

Redact a PDF

Draw black boxes over names, account numbers, or anything else you need to hide before sending a file.

Drop a PDF here or click to choose

PDF only

What to redact

Common redaction targets include full names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security or national ID numbers, bank account and routing numbers, medical record numbers, signatures, and any internal notes or identifiers that should not appear in the version you share.

What to verify after export

After exporting, open the redacted file and try to select text in the areas you marked. If redaction worked, you will not be able to select or copy the original content. Also try selecting all text and pasting it into a text editor to check what comes through. Always do this before sending the file anywhere.

Redaction FAQ

Is this just drawing a black box? No. The exported redacted pages are flattened using pdf-lib so the content underneath the marked areas is destroyed in the output file, not merely covered by a visual layer.

What should I redact? Remove anything you do not want visible in the shared version — IDs, account numbers, signatures, medical details, personal addresses, or internal-only annotations.

Should I still review the result? Yes. Always verify the exported file before sending it. Try to select text from redacted areas and run a full-document text copy to check for any information that carried through.

Does redaction remove metadata too? No. Document metadata (author name, creation date, editing software) in the PDF properties is separate from the page content and is not removed by the redaction tool. For legally sensitive documents, consider also checking and cleaning document properties.

Is my file uploaded when I redact? No. The redaction tool runs entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device during the process.

Can I redact image-based PDFs? Yes. If the sensitive content is an image or scan (rather than a text layer), drawing a redaction box over it will cover and flatten that area on export.