How to redact a PDFso nothing comes back
Step-by-step guides for removing names, numbers and faces from a document for good, on any device and for any kind of file. Every guide ends the same way: check the result before you send it.
Redaction basics
6 guidesHow to Check If a PDF Is Properly Redacted (Unredact Test)
Three quick tests to check whether a redacted PDF still hides recoverable text, layers or metadata, plus how to fix a failed redaction before you share the file.
How to Redact a PDF for Free (No Adobe, No Sign-Up)
Redact a PDF for free in your browser: AI finds names, addresses and ID numbers, the text is deleted from the file, and nothing is uploaded or stored. Compare the free options and their limits.
How to Redact a PDF Without Adobe Acrobat
Five ways to redact a PDF without Adobe Acrobat Pro: a free AI tool in your browser, a desktop app, macOS Preview, free online editors and open-source tools, with what each one misses.
How to Permanently Redact a PDF (Not Just Black Boxes)
Permanent PDF redaction deletes the text, image pixels and metadata from the file. Learn what a real redaction changes, how to do it with a free tool or Acrobat, and how to prove it worked.
How to Redact Text in a PDF (Every Instance, Automatically)
Redact specific words, names or numbers from a PDF and catch every occurrence: AI detection by data type, search-and-redact for exact terms, and manual boxes for the rest. With Acrobat steps and verification.
How to Black Out Text in a PDF (and Why a Black Box Isn't Enough)
Black out text in a PDF so it is actually gone: the difference between a drawn black box and a real redaction, how to do it for free in your browser, in Acrobat and in Preview, and how to check.
By device & platform
1 guideHow to Redact a PDF on Mac (Preview vs Acrobat vs AI)
Three ways to redact a PDF on a Mac: the built-in Preview Redact tool, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and a free AI tool in Safari or Chrome. What Preview gets right, what it misses, and how to verify the result.
By document type
1 guideHow to Redact a Scanned PDF (OCR + Image Redaction)
A scanned PDF is an image, so a redaction tool must run OCR before it can find text. Learn how to redact scanned documents, photos and faxes so both the pixels and the recognised text are removed.
Which guide do I need?
- You have never done this before. How to Redact a PDF compares the four methods and explains which one actually removes the text.
- Someone sent you a redacted file. Check whether it is really redacted in under a minute.
- The document is a scan or a phone photo. OCR has to run before anything can be found: redacting a scanned PDF.
- You do not have an Acrobat licence. Redact a PDF for free, or see the alternatives to Acrobat.
- You are on a Mac. Preview can redact, but it cannot read scans and leaves metadata behind: what that means in practice.
- You need one name gone from every page. Redact text in a PDF covers search-and-redact across a whole document.
Every guide covers a recommended method using automatic detection, the alternatives on your platform such as Adobe Acrobat or macOS Preview, and what to avoid: drawing a black box, changing the text colour or blurring an image all leave the original recoverable.
Check that your redaction actually worked
Before you send a redacted PDF anywhere, open it in our free checker to confirm no hidden text, layers or metadata can be recovered.