Redact PDF Online – Permanently Remove Sensitive Information
Black out names, account numbers, emails and any other private details for good. Search and mark text automatically or draw areas by hand; the content under each mark is permanently removed. Free and private.
How to redact a PDF
Drawing a black rectangle over text in a PDF does not remove it: anyone can still select, copy or search the words underneath, and many data leaks have happened exactly that way. WoowPDF's Redact PDF tool performs true redaction. You mark what must disappear, by searching or by drawing, and every marked page is rebuilt so the covered text, images and graphics are permanently gone from the file. It runs entirely in your browser, so your confidential document is never uploaded.
How to redact a PDF
- Open your PDF. Drop the file onto the page or click Choose file. All pages are shown with thumbnails for quick navigation.
- Find and mark text. Type names, words or numbers in the search box, or choose email addresses, phone numbers, card and account numbers or web links, then click Find and mark. Every match on every page is marked.
- Mark anything else by hand. Use Mark area to drag boxes over signatures, photos, stamps or text the search could not find, or redact an entire page with one click. Select a mark to move, resize or delete it.
- Redact and download. Click Redact PDF, then download the redacted copy. Check it, and share only this new file.
What true redaction means
Each page that contains at least one mark is rendered at high resolution, the marked areas are filled with solid black (or white) pixels, and the page is replaced by that image. Nothing from the original page content is carried over, so there is no hidden text layer, no image underneath and nothing to recover. Pages without marks are copied unchanged, keeping their text sharp and searchable.
Hidden data is removed too
Sensitive details often hide outside the visible page: in the document title and author, in bookmarks, in file attachments, in comments or in form fields. The redacted PDF is built as a brand-new file, so metadata, bookmarks, attachments and scripts from the original are never copied. By default comments, links and form fields are also removed from the unredacted pages.
Searchable results with OCR
Because redacted pages become images, their remaining text is no longer selectable. If you need it, turn on Keep redacted pages searchable (OCR) in the advanced options. WoowPDF then recognizes the text on the already-redacted image and adds an invisible text layer, so the rest of the page can be searched and copied again while the removed information stays gone.
Designed for privacy work
Use it to anonymize documents before publishing them, to answer freedom-of-information or GDPR data requests, to share contracts without bank details, to send medical or HR files without personal identifiers, or to remove client names from case studies. Because nothing is uploaded, you can redact documents that must never leave your computer.
Tips for a safe redaction
- Automatic search is a helper, not a guarantee. Scroll through every page and mark anything that was missed, especially in scans, images and tables.
- Search for variations: full names and surnames, numbers with and without spaces, and email domains.
- For scanned files, mark areas by hand, or run PDF OCR first so the search can find the text.
- Only need to remove metadata or scripts, without blacking out content? Use Clean PDF or the PDF metadata editor.
- After redacting, compress the file for sharing and protect it with a password if it is still confidential.
Features
- True redaction: marked content is removed from the file, not just covered
- Find and mark words, names and phrases on every page at once
- One-click search for email addresses, phone numbers, card and account numbers and web links
- Draw, move and resize redaction areas, or redact a whole page
- Black or white redaction boxes
- Metadata, bookmarks, attachments and scripts removed from the output
- Optional OCR keeps the rest of the redacted pages searchable
- Private: everything happens in your browser, nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
Is this real redaction or just a black box on top?
Real redaction. Every page that contains a mark is rebuilt from an image of the page with the marks burned in, so the text, images and vector graphics under the marks no longer exist in the file. They cannot be copied, searched or recovered by removing a layer.
How do I find all occurrences of a name or number?
Type the words or numbers in the search box (one per line or separated by commas) and click Find and mark. Every match on every page is marked. You can also pick ready-made searches for email addresses, phone numbers, card and account numbers and web links.
Are my documents uploaded?
No. The PDF is opened, searched and redacted entirely in your browser. That makes the tool safe for contracts, medical records, legal files and personal data.
What happens to the pages I did not redact?
They are copied unchanged, so their text stays sharp and searchable. By default comments, links and form fields are removed from them too; you can keep them in the advanced options.
Will the redacted pages still be searchable?
Redacted pages become images, so by default they have no selectable text. Turn on Keep redacted pages searchable (OCR) to rebuild a text layer from the already-redacted image: the remaining text becomes searchable, and the removed text cannot come back.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes. Draw the areas by hand on scanned pages. Automatic search only finds real text, so it cannot see words inside a scanned image.
Is the document metadata removed?
Yes. The redacted file is built from scratch: the title, author, keywords, bookmarks, attachments and scripts of the original are not copied, because they can contain the same sensitive information.
Can I use white instead of black boxes?
Yes. Choose White under Redaction color. The content is removed in exactly the same way; only the color of the box changes.
Why is the redacted file larger?
Redacted pages are stored as images. Choose Standard quality (150 dpi) in the advanced options for smaller files, or compress the result afterwards.
Is automatic search guaranteed to find everything?
No tool can guarantee that. Text written as an image, unusual fonts or words split across lines may not be found. Always scroll through every page and mark anything that was missed before you redact.