PDF redactor — rebuilds the export from page images
Draw black bars over sensitive areas. Export creates a new image-only PDF in this browser, so the original text layer, forms, links, attachments, metadata, and PDF objects are not copied.
Document
Standard uses 150 pixels per inch. High detail uses 200 pixels per inch and may be blocked for very large PDFs to avoid exhausting browser memory.
How PDF redaction works
Everything stays in your browser. The PDF is opened with PDF.js, pages render to canvas, and redaction boxes are stored as page-relative coordinates. Nothing is uploaded, and closing the tab drops the loaded document and the generated download URL.
Export is rasterized. When you export, each page is rendered as an image, black rectangles are painted into those pixels (text fields add a white label on top), and a new PDF is created from those page images. The original text layer, form fields, annotations, links, attachments, metadata, and object structure are not copied into the output.
What this protects against. The exported file should not contain hidden selectable text under the black bars or original PDF objects that a reader can reveal later. It is intentionally image-only, so text search, copy-and-paste, form editing, and link behavior are lost.
What still needs review. Anything not covered by a redaction box remains visible. A viewer can still read unredacted text by eye, and OCR software can recover text from the visible pixels. Review every page before sending the exported file.
Quality and size. The detail setting controls the pixel density used when rebuilding pages. Higher detail keeps small text sharper but uses more browser memory and usually makes a larger file.