Redact PDF
Create an image-only redacted PDF
Draw black boxes over a rendered PDF, then save a new local copy without the original document objects.
Use this tool to cover sensitive areas in one PDF and create a new flattened copy on your device. Draw black boxes over the visible page content, then save a fresh PDF made from JPEG page images. The original text, image objects, forms, annotations, layers and source metadata are not carried into that new file. Your original PDF and the finished copy stay in your browser and are never uploaded. This is a practical technical transformation, not a legal or compliance certification, so verify an important result and follow the rules that apply to your organisation.
How to create a flattened redacted PDF
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1
Choose one PDF
Select a readable PDF up to 50 MB. The tool accepts one document at a time and checks up to 50 pages before it starts.
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2
Review the rendered pages
The PDF is rendered locally in your browser. Password-protected, malformed or unusually complex files may not open.
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3
Draw the redaction boxes
Drag a black box over each visible area you want to cover. Repeat this manually on every page that needs a redaction.
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4
Create the new copy
Choose Redact and save. The tool builds a new JPEG-raster PDF locally, then downloads it. Your original file is not changed.
A new image-only PDF, not an overlay
This tool does not add a black shape to your original PDF and save it again. It renders every page, applies your selected black boxes to the rendered page image, and creates a new PDF from JPEG images. The resulting file does not contain the original PDF text, source image objects, forms, annotations, optional layers, links or source metadata.
That means the selected areas are removed from the output, but the transformation affects the entire document. All pages in the new file become images, including pages where you did not draw a box. Text is no longer selectable or searchable, links do not work, form fields cannot be edited, and vector artwork can lose sharpness. Depending on the document and your device, the output can also be larger or look less detailed than the original.
File and rendering limits
The tool accepts one PDF of up to 50 MB and up to 50 pages. To keep browser memory within a reasonable range, no rendered page may exceed 16 million pixels and the document may not exceed 80 million rendered pixels in total. These are operational limits, not a promise that every PDF within them will open. Encrypted, malformed, damaged or browser-incompatible PDFs can still fail to render.
Your original PDF and the flattened copy remain on your device. The tool does not upload either file. Closing or refreshing the tab clears the current work from the page.
Check an important result
For a sensitive document, inspect the downloaded copy before sharing it. Try selecting text under and around each box, search for a known word, inspect links and form fields, and open the file in the PDF reader that the recipient is likely to use. The output should behave as an image-only PDF, but this tool does not provide a legal, regulatory or compliance certification. Use an approved workflow when your employer, court, regulator or contract requires one.
Frequently Asked Questions
The output is a newly created image-only PDF. It does not carry over the original text layer, image objects, forms, annotations, layers, links or source metadata. Every page is flattened to a JPEG image, including pages without a box. This is not a legal or compliance certification, so verify an important result and use an approved process where one is required.
No. The original PDF is read, rendered and transformed in your browser. The new PDF is created locally and downloaded directly to your device. Neither file is uploaded by this tool.
It accepts one readable PDF at a time, up to 50 MB and 50 pages. A page may have up to 16 million rendered pixels, with an 80 million-pixel limit across the document. These limits protect browser memory, but a password-protected, malformed or unusually complex PDF can still fail.
No. The tool creates a fresh JPEG-raster PDF for the whole document. That removes selectable and searchable text, live links, editable forms, original vector quality and the original PDF structure from every output page.
Not always. The tool needs a PDF that the browser can read and render without a password. Password-protected, malformed, damaged or unsupported PDFs may show an error instead of opening.
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