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Redact PDF
Permanently black out sensitive text or images in a PDF.
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Redact PDF processes files locally in your browser.
Permanently redact a PDF in your browser
Draw one or more boxes over sensitive text or images and Redact PDF permanently removes that content — pages you redact are flattened to an image, not covered with a removable overlay. Runs entirely in your browser, no uploads required.
How to redact a PDF
- Select or drop a PDF.
- Navigate to each page that has sensitive content.
- Draw a box over each area to redact.
- Select Redact & download.
Browser privacy
- Redaction happens locally in the browser.
- Your file is not uploaded to Looty Tools.
Limits
- Maximum file size is 25 MB, up to 200 pages (50 flattened per file).
- Pages with a redaction box are permanently flattened to an image — text on those pages is no longer selectable or searchable, and links, form fields, or annotations on those pages are removed.
- Pages without a redaction box keep their original visible/vector content and are not rasterized.
- Document metadata, bookmarks, and form fields are not preserved in the output.
- Password-protected PDFs are unsupported.
Related PDF tools
- Organize PDFReorder, rotate, duplicate, or remove pages from a PDF.
- Compress PDFShrink PDF file size while keeping pages readable and print-ready.
- Protect PDFAdd a password to keep a PDF's contents private.
- Crop PDFTrim the margins of a PDF or crop a specific page area.
Guides
- How to Redact a PDFDraw boxes over sensitive text or images in your browser and download a PDF where that content has been genuinely removed, not just covered up.
- Redaction vs Blacking OutA black rectangle drawn over PDF text usually leaves the original text selectable and recoverable underneath it. Learn what real redaction requires instead.
- Remove Sensitive PDF InfoA practical checklist for removing sensitive text, images, and metadata from a PDF before sharing it, and which steps a redaction tool does and does not cover.
Redact PDF FAQ
- Is my PDF uploaded when I redact it?
- No. Redact PDF runs entirely in your browser using pdf-lib and PDF.js. Your file is never uploaded to Looty Tools.
- Is a black box really enough to redact a PDF?
- A black rectangle drawn on top of existing PDF text is not real redaction — the original text usually remains selectable, searchable, and recoverable underneath it. Redact PDF instead rebuilds each redacted page as a flattened image, so the covered content is not present in the output at all.
- What happens to a page after I redact it?
- Pages with a redaction box are permanently flattened to an image. Text on those pages is no longer selectable or searchable, and any links, form fields, or annotations on those pages are removed. Pages without a redaction box keep their original visible/vector page content and are not rasterized.
- Does Redact PDF preserve document metadata, bookmarks, or form fields?
- Not currently. Redact PDF focuses on permanently removing selected visible page content. Document-level metadata, outlines/bookmarks, and form fields are not carried into the redacted output.
- Will the file size change after redacting?
- It can. Flattened pages become images, which may be larger or smaller than the original vector content; unredacted pages keep their original size and quality.
- What is the maximum file size and page count?
- Redact PDF accepts one PDF up to 25 MB and 200 pages, with up to 50 pages flattened (redacted) per file.