Runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded

Redact PDF

Redact a PDF so names, numbers and anything else are actually removed, not just covered. Draw boxes or search the text, review every match, and download a redacted copy — all in your browser.

How it works

Redacting a PDF

Open the PDF. It's read on your device and each page is drawn with PDF.js as you scroll to it.
Drag on a page to draw a box. Move it, resize it from the corners, or set its position exactly. With the keyboard, Tab to a page and press Enter to add a box, then use the arrow keys.
Or use Find & redact: type a name or number, or tick email addresses, phone numbers or card-like numbers. Each match is listed — untick any you want to keep, then add the rest as boxes and check them on the page.
Download. Each page with a box is rendered at the resolution you choose, the boxes are painted black into the image, and that image replaces the page. The file is saved as name-redacted.pdf.

What ends up in the file

Pages with boxes become a single image each. The text, pictures and drawings that were on them are not in the new file, so nothing under a box can be copied, searched or recovered. Text on those pages is no longer selectable.
Pages without boxes are copied as they are — text stays text — but only with the fonts and images that page itself uses, so content from redacted pages can't tag along.
Hidden extras are removed from the whole document: title, author and other document info, XMP metadata, attachments, JavaScript and open actions, bookmarks, comments, annotations and form fields.
A check runs after saving: the redacted pages are read back and must contain no text, or the file isn't saved.

Limitations, plainly

You decide what's covered. Search helps, but it only finds real text, and the email, phone and card patterns can miss unusual formats or catch things that aren't sensitive. Check every page before you share the file.
Scanned pages have no text to search. Draw boxes over them by hand — the result is just as permanent.
Redacted pages are pictures. They can't be searched or read aloud by screen readers, and at low resolutions small print gets soft. 150 DPI suits screens; choose 300 DPI if the file will be printed.
Size: image pages are larger than text pages, so a file with many redacted pages grows. JPEG keeps photos smaller; PNG keeps text crisp.
Comments, links and form fields are removed from every page (web links can be kept on pages without boxes). Filled-in form values on kept pages are drawn onto the page first.
Password-protected PDFs can't be opened. Remove the password with Unlock PDF first. Up to 200 MB and 2,000 pages; very large files may be slow on phones.

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?+

No. The PDF is opened, searched, redacted and saved entirely in your browser, and the redacted copy goes straight to your device. Nothing you open or type here is sent anywhere or stored.

Why do redacted pages become images?+

Because that's the reliable way to make the covered content disappear. A PDF page is a list of drawing instructions — text, images and shapes — and a black box drawn on top is just one more instruction; everything under it is still in the file. Here, each page with a box is rendered to a picture, the black boxes are painted into the pixels, and the page is replaced by that picture. The text, images and drawings under the boxes are not copied into the new file. The trade-off: text on those pages is no longer selectable or searchable, and the pages can look slightly softer than the original. Pages without boxes are kept as they are.

Is the redaction permanent?+

Yes, for what's under the boxes. The covered content isn't hidden or layered — it's not in the downloaded file at all, and the tool checks after saving that the redacted pages contain no text. Your original file isn't changed, so keep it somewhere safe or delete it, depending on why you're redacting. Always open the result and check that every box is where it should be before you share it.

I drew black boxes in another app. Is the text really gone?+

Often not. In many editors and word processors, a black rectangle or highlight only covers the text visually — anyone can still select it, copy it, or search for it, and some readers can hide the rectangle. Real redaction removes the content itself. If you're not sure, open the file in a browser, press Ctrl+F (⌘F on a Mac) and search for something you covered.

What else is removed from the file?+

The document information (title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer), XMP metadata, attachments, JavaScript and actions that run on opening, bookmarks, comments and other annotations, and form fields. Filled-in form values on pages without boxes are drawn onto the page first, so they stay visible. You can choose to keep plain web links on pages without boxes. All of this is removed from every page, not just redacted ones, because it can hold text the boxes don't cover.

Can it find names, emails and phone numbers for me?+

It can find any text you type, emails, phone numbers and card-like numbers, and put a box over every match for you to review. It can't know what's sensitive in your document, and it only finds real text: words in scanned pages or images need boxes drawn by hand. Treat the search as a helper, then check every page yourself.

Why can't I open my PDF?+

Password-protected or encrypted PDFs can't be redacted here. Remove the password first with Unlock PDF (tools.northlane.live/unlock-pdf/), then open the unlocked copy.

How do I redact a scanned PDF?+

Press Draw boxes and drag over each part to hide — search can't see words that are only part of a scanned picture. If the scan has been OCR'd (for example with PDF OCR), search can find words in its hidden text layer, but OCR makes mistakes, so check every page and draw any missing boxes by hand.

Can I search with a regular expression or match case?+

Yes. Tick Match case for exact capitals, or Regular expression to match a pattern — for example \d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4} finds numbers written like a US Social Security number. Plain searches ignore case, and a space in your search also matches several spaces or a line break.

Which image resolution and format should I choose?+

150 dpi (the default) suits on-screen reading; 300 dpi keeps small print sharp when printed, and 100 dpi gives the smallest file (200 dpi is in between). PNG keeps text crispest; JPEG is smaller for pages that are mostly photos. These settings only affect pages with boxes.

Is there a size or page limit?+

PDFs up to 200 MB and 2,000 pages can be opened. Each page with a box becomes an image, so a document with boxes on many pages can end up noticeably larger than the original, especially at 300 dpi.