Redact PDF

Permanently black out sensitive information in PDF documents. Draw rectangles over text you want to hide. 100% private — all in your browser.

Drop a PDF file here or click to browse

Draw rectangles over text to redact

✅ Redactions Applied

Sensitive content has been blacked out.

About Redact PDF

Permanently black out sensitive text and images in PDF files directly in your browser.

Draw to Redact

Click and drag on the page to draw black rectangles over sensitive content.

Multiple Redactions

Add as many redaction rectangles as needed. All are applied at once.

100% Private

Your PDF and its contents never leave your browser.

Permanent

Redactions are burned into the PDF — they can't be removed after saving.

📋 Common Use Cases

Protect Personal Data

Redact names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses before sharing documents publicly.

Secure Financial Information

Black out bank account numbers, credit card details, and salary information in financial documents.

Prepare Legal Disclosures

Remove privileged or confidential information from legal documents before court filing or discovery.

Sanitize Internal Reports

Redact proprietary data, trade secrets, and internal metrics before sharing reports externally.

🪜 How to Use This Tool

  1. Upload PDF file
    Drag your document onto the upload area or click to select the PDF containing sensitive content.
  2. Select redaction tool
    Choose the rectangle or freeform redaction brush from the toolbar to cover sensitive areas.
  3. Draw over sensitive content
    Click and drag to draw black rectangles over each piece of sensitive information you want to hide.
  4. Apply and download
    Permanently apply redactions and download the sanitized PDF with sensitive content permanently removed.

📚 Related Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this PDF tool really free?▼
Yes. Every PDF tool on iluv.tools is completely free. No signup, no account, no payment. Everything runs in your browser.
Are my PDF files uploaded to a server?▼
No. All PDF processing happens locally in your browser using the pdf-lib and PDF.js libraries. Your files never leave your device.
Do these PDF tools work offline?▼
Basic PDF tools (merge, split, compress, rotate, sign, watermark, protect, unlock, add page numbers, edit metadata, flatten, grayscale, crop, delete pages) work completely offline after the page loads. AI-powered tools like smart compression and PDF to Word require an internet connection.
Is there a file size limit?▼
Browser-based tools handle files up to ~100MB smoothly. Larger files may be slower depending on your device. For very large PDFs, try splitting them first, processing the parts, then merging.
Can I use these on mobile?▼
Yes. All PDF tools work on mobile browsers (iOS Safari, Android Chrome). Desktop is recommended for large files, but everything is functional on mobile.