Is redaction with PDFredo permanent?

Yes. PDFredo rasterizes the affected pages and paints over the redacted areas so the underlying text and image data are completely removed from the file - not just visually covered.

Can I recover redacted content from the PDF?

No. Unlike a simple black-box overlay (which can be removed with a PDF editor), PDFredo converts redacted pages to images, making recovery impossible.

What is the difference between text search and manual region redaction?

Text search automatically finds every occurrence of your phrase on all pages. Manual region lets you draw a rectangle on a specific page using percentage coordinates - useful for redacting images, logos, or handwritten text.

Will redaction affect the rest of the document?

No. Pages without redactions are copied verbatim from the original. Only pages with redaction targets are rasterized.

Does redacting a PDF reduce quality?

Slightly. Rasterized pages are re-saved at 150 DPI JPEG, which is sufficient for screen and most print use. Very high-resolution original PDFs may show a minor quality difference.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

Yes, temporarily. Your file is processed on PDFredo's secure server and automatically deleted after 35 minutes. It is never used for training data or shared with third parties.

Redact PDF

Permanently hide sensitive text

Permanently remove sensitive content from PDF files

Auto-deletion after 35 minEU servers

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Privacy by design

Processed on EU servers. Files are automatically deleted within 35 minutes. No tracking, no analysis.

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EU servers, 35 min auto-deletion

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01

Upload your PDF

Click "Select File" or drag and drop your PDF into the upload area. The file stays in your browser until you click Redact.

02

Choose redaction mode

Use "Text Search" to automatically find and redact all occurrences of a word or phrase, or switch to "Manual Region" to specify exact page coordinates.

03

Add redaction targets

Enter your search text and click Add, or specify the page number and rectangle coordinates (as percentages from the top-left corner).

04

Select redaction color

Choose black (default) or white depending on whether you want the redacted areas to be invisible on dark or light backgrounds.

05

Download the redacted PDF

Click "Redact PDF". The selected content is permanently removed and cannot be recovered. Download the clean file.

PDF Security

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PDF Metadata

View, edit, or remove PDF metadata for privacy and compliance