PDF input
Open a non-encrypted PDF up to 25 MB and 20 pages. Password-protected and malformed PDFs are not supported.
Free PDF redaction tool
Redact a PDF online for free.
Cover private text, names, account details, and signatures, then download a rebuilt PDF without the original searchable text underneath.
PDFs up to 25 MB and 20 pages. The exported PDF is image-based: searchable text, editable forms, and accessibility tags are not preserved.
What this tool does
A black rectangle is safe only when the original content is gone
Many PDF editors place a shape or annotation over the page. The page may look redacted while the original words remain searchable, selectable, or recoverable underneath. That is especially risky for invoices, legal forms, applications, medical documents, and exported reports.
FreeRedact takes a different approach. It renders each PDF page as an image in your browser, lets you approve or draw solid redaction areas, and creates a new PDF from those reviewed page images. The export does not reuse the original text layer, form fields, comments, attachments, scripts, or embedded files.
This destructive export improves redaction safety, but it also means the new PDF is not searchable, selectable, or easily editable. Keep the original in a secure location if you may need it later, and share only the redacted copy.
Files and output
Supported formats and results
Page-by-page review
Move through rendered page previews and review suggestions in the context of the full document.
Flattened PDF output
Download a new image-based PDF with approved black or white redactions drawn into each page.
Original stays unchanged
The source PDF remains on your device and is not edited, replaced, or uploaded.
How to use FreeRedact
A careful three-step workflow
Choose the PDF
Open the PDF in the private editor. FreeRedact renders the visible pages locally so you can work with them in the browser.
Review every page
Accept useful suggestions, reject false positives, search for repeated custom text, and draw manual boxes over anything that remains.
Export a rebuilt PDF
Run the final check and download a new PDF made from the reviewed page images rather than the original PDF objects.
Automatic suggestions
What FreeRedact checks in a PDF
The editor reads the visible rendered pages. It does not assume that every detection should be hidden; each suggestion waits for your decision.
Common PDF findings
- Names, email addresses, common U.S. phone formats, and U.S.-style street addresses
- Payment cards, U.S. SSN-style numbers, account IDs, and IPv4 addresses
- Access tokens, sensitive-looking links, faces, and regions that may contain handwriting
- Repeated custom text, including a client name, case number, or internal project label
PDF review limitations
- Faint scans, handwriting, stamps, rotated pages, and low-resolution text may not be read correctly
- A page with dense tables or unusual typography can produce missed findings or false positives
- The 20-page limit means longer PDFs must be split before review
- Automatic suggestions cannot know which business details the recipient is authorized to see
Before you share
Verify that your redacted PDF is safe to send
Inspect the downloaded PDF rather than relying on the editor preview alone.
Use these checks: Check for hidden PDF text · Run the PDF redaction safety test
- Open the download in a different PDF viewer and inspect every page.
- Search for a redacted name, email address, account number, and any other original value.
- Try selecting and copying text from a redacted area; the rebuilt pages should behave as images.
- Open document properties and confirm the original author, title, dates, and custom metadata are absent.
- Check that comments, attachments, links, forms, and scripts from the original are not available.
- Rename the downloaded copy if its filename includes a person's name, case number, health condition, customer, project, or other private context.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
How does FreeRedact permanently redact a PDF?
It renders the pages, applies the approved boxes to new page images, and builds a fresh PDF from those images. It does not add removable rectangles over the original text.
Will the redacted PDF still be searchable?
No. The exported pages are image-based, so the original searchable and selectable text is not carried into the new PDF.
Can I redact a scanned PDF?
Yes, if it is not password-protected and stays within the file and page limits. Text recognition may be less accurate on blurry, faint, angled, or handwritten scans, so review each page carefully.
Does the export remove PDF metadata and attachments?
The new PDF is created from rendered page images, so the original metadata, comments, form fields, attachments, scripts, and embedded objects are not copied into it.
Related tools and guides
Continue your privacy check
Ready to review the file?
Open the private editor to apply these checks. No signup is required, and the file stays on your device.
Open private editor