NovaRedact PDF
Draw black boxes over anything you need to hide, then flatten that page to an image — so the content underneath is genuinely gone, not just covered up. Nothing is uploaded — everything happens in your browser.
Why redacting flattens the page
Just drawing a black box over text doesn't remove it — the original text is often still there underneath, and can be selected or copied right out from under the box. To actually remove it, this tool rasterizes (flattens) every page you mark into a plain image with the boxes baked in, so there's no text left to recover. Use the page selector to move between pages, and drag directly on the preview to draw a box — draw as many as you need on a page. Only the pages you mark get flattened; every other page keeps its original, searchable text untouched.
How to use Redact PDF
- Drop the PDF that contains information you need to hide.
- Go to the page with the sensitive content and drag on the preview to draw a black box over it.
- Draw as many boxes as you need, on as many pages as you need.
- Click Download redacted PDF. Each marked page is flattened into an image with the boxes baked in.
Good to know before you start
- Marked pages become images, so their remaining text can no longer be searched or copied. Pages without boxes keep their original text.
- Redaction is permanent in the downloaded copy. Check every box before you share the file, and keep the original somewhere private.
- Boxes are rectangles you draw by hand. There's no automatic search for names or numbers yet.
Redact PDF: frequently asked questions
Why not just draw a black rectangle in another app?
A rectangle drawn on top usually leaves the original text in the file, where it can be selected and copied out. Here, marked pages are flattened so the hidden text is actually gone.
Can someone remove the black boxes?
No. On a marked page there's no text layer left, only a picture with the black box already in it.
Why can't I search the redacted pages any more?
Flattening removes the text layer, which is what makes redaction safe. Run the file through OCR PDF if you need the visible text searchable again.
Is my sensitive document uploaded?
No. Redaction runs in your browser, which matters most for exactly the kind of files people redact.