Use Redact PDF - free
Frequently asked questions
Is the redaction truly permanent and irreversible?
Yes. The tool draws black rectangles into the page content stream. There is no hidden layer underneath - the content beneath the redaction is gone from the saved file.
Can I redact text automatically by searching for a keyword?
The current tool uses manual drawing. Automatic text search and redact is not yet available - you draw over each area to redact.
Does redaction also remove the underlying text from the PDF text layer?
The black rectangle covers the visual content. For a PDF with a text layer, the text stream may still contain the words beneath. For complete removal of text-layer data, flatten the PDF after redacting.