How to redact a PDF permanently
To redact a PDF, open the Redact PDF tool, add your file, draw boxes over the sensitive areas, and download — PDFER flattens the marked pages to an image so the content underneath is genuinely destroyed, not just hidden. It all happens in your browser.
Real redaction vs a black box
Drawing a black rectangle in many editors only covers text — it can still be copied or recovered. PDFER rasterizes each redacted page on export, so the removed content is gone from the file, not merely obscured.
Related privacy tools
To remove a password you know, use Remove Password. To strip metadata, use Edit Metadata. To lock the file, use Protect PDF.
Tools mentioned in this guide
Frequently asked
- Is redacted content really removed?
- Yes. Redacted pages are flattened to an image on export, so the text or graphics under the box are destroyed — not just visually covered.
- Is the file uploaded to redact it?
- No. Redaction runs in your browser, so the sensitive document never leaves your device.