Redact PDF Documents
Permanently hide sensitive information from your PDF files. Draw redaction boxes over text, images, or any content you want to remove — securely and irreversibly.
About PDF Redaction
Confileo's PDF Redaction tool permanently removes sensitive text and information from a PDF. Everything runs in your browser, free and without signup, and your files are deleted automatically after processing.
Hiding sensitive information with a black box is dangerous — the text underneath can still be copied or recovered. True redaction removes the data permanently, which matters for lawyers, HR teams and anyone sharing official documents.
Confileo's PDF Redaction tool deletes the underlying content — ID numbers, bank accounts, names — rather than just covering it, so it cannot be retrieved. Mark the text or areas, download the redacted file, and the rest of the document stays intact.
The gap between covering and redacting has caused documented leaks at law firms and government departments. A black rectangle drawn over text is just an object sitting on the page; the text is still underneath it. Select and copy, or open the file in a different reader, and it comes back in full. Real redaction deletes the characters from the file rather than hiding them.
That is what happens here: you mark the text or the area, and the underlying content is removed from the document before it is rebuilt. What you download no longer contains that data in any layer, so there is nothing to select, copy or extract.
What is worth redacting in practice: national ID and social security numbers, bank account and IBAN details, home addresses, phone numbers, personal email addresses, vehicle plates, scanned signatures, and health or salary information whenever a document travels beyond the team that handled it. In case files it is often enough to leave the year of a date of birth visible and remove the day and month.
Two things redaction does not cover. The first is metadata: author, organisation, comments and tracked changes live inside the file even when the visible text is clean — check them with the metadata analyser before sending. The second is repetition: a name redacted on page 3 but still printed in the footer of page 7 is not redacted at all, so search the whole document for every instance before you finish.
Always verify the result before it leaves your hands. Open the file, try to select the redacted area with the mouse, and use the reader's search with a fragment of the removed text. If nothing comes back, the redaction held. Keep the original somewhere safe, because this operation is irreversible by design.
Your file is processed and then deleted from the server, and the original on your device is untouched.
Quick facts
- Price
- Free to start — 1 credit per file (15 credits as a guest, 200 a month with a free account)
- Signup
- Not required
- Max file size
- Up to 100 MB per file
- Your files
- Deleted automatically after processing
- Works on
- Any browser — desktop, tablet, mobile
- Watermark
- None on your output
How to use PDF Redaction
- Upload the PDF with sensitive content.
- Mark the text or areas to redact.
- Download a PDF with that information permanently gone.
Why use Confileo
- ✓Free to start — 15 credits with no account, 200 a month with a free one; no watermarks and no credit card.
- ✓No signup or account required — start using it instantly.
- ✓Your files are processed securely and deleted automatically for full privacy.
- ✓Works in any browser on desktop, tablet and mobile — nothing to install.
- ✓Fast processing built to handle real, everyday document workloads.
PDF Redaction — Frequently asked questions
Is the redacted text truly removed?
Yes. Redaction removes the underlying content — not just a black box you can copy behind.
Can redacted information be recovered?
No. Once redacted and downloaded, the removed content cannot be retrieved from the file.
How do I permanently delete sensitive info from a PDF?
Mark the sensitive text or area, apply redaction, and download a file with that information fully removed — not just hidden.
What is the difference between redaction and a black box?
A black box can be removed or copied behind. Redaction here deletes the underlying data so no trace remains.
Can I use it to hide ID numbers or bank accounts?
Yes. Ideal for removing ID numbers, bank accounts and names before sharing contracts and official documents.
Does the rest of the document stay intact?
Yes. Only what you marked is removed; the rest of the content and formatting stays unchanged.
Can I redact images, not just text?
Yes. You can cover any area of the page, including images, logos and signatures, and the content underneath is removed.
Once redacted, can the hidden text still be copied or searched?
No. The underlying text is removed, so it cannot be selected, copied or found by search.
Is this safe for official or legal documents?
Yes. Because the content under each redaction is deleted rather than just hidden, it is suitable for sharing sensitive or legal documents.
How do I redact a PDF online for free?
Upload the file, select the text or area to remove, apply the redaction and download it. Everything runs in the browser — free, no signup and no Acrobat licence.
What does redaction actually mean?
Permanently removing specific information from a document while leaving the rest readable. On a PDF, true redaction does not cover the text — it deletes it from the file.
Why isn't a black rectangle drawn in Word or Preview enough?
Because it only adds a shape on top; the text underneath is still in the file. Selecting and copying the area, or opening the PDF in an editor, reveals the information that was supposed to be hidden. This is behind a long list of real-world document leaks.
Does it redact scanned documents too?
On a scan the page is an image, so the selected area is erased from the image itself. If an OCR text layer exists on top, it is removed along with the area, leaving nothing copyable.
How do I verify the information is really gone?
Open the downloaded PDF, try to select and copy the redacted area — nothing should appear. Then search the document with Ctrl+F for the removed word; it should no longer be found.
Is redaction enough for GDPR compliance?
Genuinely removing personal data before sharing or publishing is exactly what the regulation expects, unlike visual masking that leaves the data in the file. Always check the final file before distributing it.
What is the difference from the PDF Editor?
The PDF Editor adds content on top of the page; it removes nothing. To make existing information disappear permanently, redaction is the tool.
Is this tool really free?
Yes. You get 15 credits without an account and 200 credits a month with a free account; most tools use 1 credit per file and advanced ones up to 5. No watermark, no credit card. Pro adds 1,000 credits a month.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You can use the tool straight away without signing up or logging in.
Are my files safe and private?
Yes. Your files are processed for the task you requested and then deleted automatically — they are never shared or kept.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. The tool runs in any modern browser, so it works the same on desktop, tablet and mobile with nothing to install.