Redact a PDF — Free & Private
Black out social security numbers, account details or any sensitive content before sharing a document. The redacted content is truly removed — not just hidden.
Drag & drop a PDF file here
or select a file from your device — draw boxes over content to permanently black it out
Files are processed locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded to a serverHow It Works
Redact sensitive content in three simple steps.
Upload your PDF
Drag and drop a PDF file into the box above, or click to browse your device.
Draw over sensitive areas
Click and drag directly over any text or image you want permanently hidden — a solid black box is drawn immediately.
Save the result
Click "Save Redacted PDF" — the page is rebuilt as a flattened image so the covered content can't be recovered.
Why Use PDFHome?
True redaction, not just a box drawn over the text.
Content is actually removed
Unlike drawing a black rectangle over live text (which can be deleted or seen underneath by editing the PDF), PDFHome rebuilds each page as a flattened image — the covered content is gone from the file.
100% private by design
Redaction happens entirely in your browser — your PDF is never uploaded to a server.
Precise, visual control
See exactly what you're covering as you draw each redaction box directly over the page preview.
Works on any device
PDFHome runs in any modern browser on desktop, tablet or mobile.
Free, no account required
Redact PDF is completely free with no sign-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — a black box drawn as an annotation or shape in most editors sits on top of the original text, which can often be revealed again by deleting the shape or copying the underlying text. PDFHome instead flattens each page into an image after redaction, so the covered content is permanently gone from the file.
The page becomes an image, so text outside the redacted areas remains fully visible, but — like the rest of the page — it's no longer selectable or searchable, since the whole page is now a picture rather than live text.
The current tool draws permanently as you release the mouse. If you make a mistake, start over by choosing the file again before saving.
Yes. The entire process — rendering, redacting and rebuilding the file — happens on your own device in your browser.