What is Redact PDF and how does it work?

Redact PDF is a free online tool from HuntPDF. Black out and permanently hide sensitive information in a PDF. You upload a file, the work happens on our servers, and you download the result. There is nothing to install and no account to create.

How do I use Redact PDF online?

Upload your file using the box above — drag it in, browse for it, or bring it in from your cloud storage. A preview appears so you can check you've picked the right file. Run Redact PDF, then download the result. You can rename it before you save it.

Is my file secure when I use Redact PDF?

Yes. The file you send to Redact PDF travels over an encrypted HTTPS connection and is processed automatically on our servers. It is never made public, never shared with anyone, and nobody reads it.

Does HuntPDF store my files after Redact PDF has run?

No. Your upload is deleted the moment Redact PDF finishes with it, and the file it produces is removed as soon as you have downloaded it, or when you upload another file, or when you close the page. Nothing is kept, and nothing is used to train anything.

Will the original quality and formatting be maintained?

Yes. Redact PDF is built to leave your content exactly as it is — only the change you asked for is applied. Nothing else about the file is altered or re-compressed.

Can I use Redact PDF on mobile?

Yes. Redact PDF works in any modern browser on phones and tablets — iPhone, iPad or Android — with nothing to install. You can upload straight from your device or from your cloud storage.

Can I rename my file before downloading it from Redact PDF?

Yes. The file Redact PDF gives you back keeps the name of the file you uploaded by default. If you'd rather call it something else, edit the name in the field next to the download button before you save it.

Do I need to install any software to use Redact PDF?

No. There is nothing to download, install or sign up for — Redact PDF is used from your browser and does the work on our servers, so it behaves the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

How long does Redact PDF take?

Most files are finished in a few seconds. A large or page-heavy file takes a little longer, because Redact PDF runs on our servers rather than on your device — but you won't be waiting around. You can upload files up to 250MB.

Is Redact PDF free to use?

Yes. Redact PDF is free, with no signup, no watermark on the result and no daily limit for normal use.

How do I redact the same word everywhere in Redact PDF?

Press Ctrl+F, type the word or number, and choose Redact all. Every match in the document is covered in one go.

Can Redact PDF handle scanned pages?

Yes, by drawing boxes over the areas to hide. Search only finds real text, so it will not pick up words inside a scanned picture.

What is the difference between redact and whiteout?

Redact covers content with black, which shows the reader that something was removed. Whiteout covers it with white, which suits correcting a mistake rather than hiding information.

Can I remove a redaction box before saving?

Yes. Select the box and delete it, or use Undo, while you are still in the editor.

What should I redact?

Anything the recipient does not need: account and card numbers, ID numbers, signatures, home addresses, dates of birth and the names of people not involved.

Is there an automatic option?

Yes. AI Redact looks for personal, financial or contact details and blacks them out. Review its result, and use Redact PDF by hand for anything it did not catch.

Redact PDF Online – Free, No Watermark, No Signup

Drop your file on the target

Several files · up to 260 MB each · deleted after processing

Drop your file here

Choose file

Edit the PDF's own text
Fill forms & sign
Draw, highlight, shapes, redact
Organise pages

PDF and image tools that run over an encrypted HTTPS connection. Files are auto-deleted after processing and never stored or shared.

Redact PDF blacks out parts of a PDF before you share it: account numbers on a bank statement, a home address in a court bundle, names in a report going to an outside consultant. It opens the HuntPDF editor with the Redact tool already selected, so you can start marking straight away.

How to use Redact PDF

Open your PDF and drag a box over anything you want hidden; it becomes a solid black block. To hide every copy of a word or number, press Ctrl+F, search for it and choose Redact all. When every page is done, save the file, which gets -redacted added to its name, and download it.

When to use Redact PDF

A tenant sending a landlord proof of income may want to hide everything on a statement except the salary line. A school sharing an incident report might hide pupils' names. A company answering a records request may need to black out staff phone numbers across a hundred pages.

Search and Redact all is what makes that last case practical: type the phone number or surname once and every match is covered, instead of drawing boxes page by page.

Checking a Redact PDF file before you send it

Scroll through every page of the result before sending it. Search cannot find words that are part of a scanned image, so on scans you draw the boxes by hand. Check headers, footers and small print, which are easy to miss. If there are many personal details to find, AI Redact can look for names, emails, phone numbers and ID numbers for you, and you can review what it covered.

Frequently asked questions

How do I redact the same word everywhere in Redact PDF?: Press Ctrl+F, type the word or number, and choose Redact all. Every match in the document is covered in one go.
Can Redact PDF handle scanned pages?: Yes, by drawing boxes over the areas to hide. Search only finds real text, so it will not pick up words inside a scanned picture.
What is the difference between redact and whiteout?: Redact covers content with black, which shows the reader that something was removed. Whiteout covers it with white, which suits correcting a mistake rather than hiding information.
Can I remove a redaction box before saving?: Yes. Select the box and delete it, or use Undo, while you are still in the editor.
What should I redact?: Anything the recipient does not need: account and card numbers, ID numbers, signatures, home addresses, dates of birth and the names of people not involved.
Is there an automatic option?: Yes. AI Redact looks for personal, financial or contact details and blacks them out. Review its result, and use Redact PDF by hand for anything it did not catch.