Need to safely redact your PDFs? We'll show you the best methods for 2024!

Depending on your profession, you may need to share documents with others that contain sensitive information.

In the legal industry, for example, it's common to work with PDFs that contain sensitive and confidential information.

But, when you share a sensitive document, you may want to remove certain words, phrases, or images, so that not all the information is available.

This is where redaction comes in.

Redacting parts of a PDF is useful if the document is to be shared with a broader audience that may not need to know the details, but just needs the general content within the document.

Information such as names, addresses, emails, and financial information are common pieces of information that might be redacted to avoid privacy breaches or compliance issues.

But, how do you redact a PDF?

If you need to redact a PDF, you may already know that it's not enough to just block the text with a shape, or change the color of the text.

These types of edits can easily be undone by someone else with a PDF editor.

To solve this, you'll need to use a proper redact tool that can permanently remove text (or areas) within a PDF.

In this guide we'll go over everything you need to know to redact your PDFs, and keep private information away from prying eyes.

What to Know Before You Start

1. Always create a backup copy of the original PDF before you redact. Once redacted, changes cannot be undone.
2. Windows users will need to use a PDF editor with a redaction tool, like PDF Pro.
3. Mac users can use their built-in Preview app to redact areas within a PDF. To search and redact words, in bulk, use a dedicated PDF editor.

What Exactly is Redacting a PDF?

Redacting PDFs is a security measure that permanently removes the text (or area) within a PDF, and prevents them from being able to be restored by others.

Names, addresses, emails, and financial information are common examples of information that may need to be redacted before a document can be shared among others.

Whiteout PDF VS Redact PDF

Depending on what PDF software you use, "whiteout" and "redact" can mean the same thing, or different things.

Let's elaborate on that.

"Whiteout" is sometimes used when referring to redacting an area. Whereas just the word "redact", is often used when referring to the function of searching and redacting words or phrases, in bulk.

One thing to note is that redacting a PDF is not the same thing as covering an area of a PDF with a white (or black) shape to conceal the text or images underneath.

Redacting a PDF permanently removes the redacted content from the document, in a way that prevents others from restoring it.

Simply covering the text or area with white shape does not have the same security as redacting. Adding shapes or editing the color of text are methods that can be undone by someone else with a PDF editor.

If you're concerned with security, you'll want to use a proper PDF redaction tool.

You'll need to double check the tools of the PDF editor you decide to use to determine if it meets your needs.

Tips for Redacting PDFs

Here are a few tips to keep in mind if you need to redact a PDF:

• Back up your PDF: Always create a copy of the original before you start redacting, in case you'll need it later. Once you redact a PDF, the changes cannot be undone.
• Choose the right redaction tool: Not all PDF editors offer redaction tools. And not all PDF editors with a redaction tool are the same. Make sure that the tool you use is the right one for your needs.
• Be thorough: It's easy to overlook sensitive information in the headers, footers, and images. After redacting, double-check the document to ensure that all the information you want to redact has been.

How to Redact a PDF on Windows

The most reliable way to redact a PDF on Windows is with a desktop PDF editor that has a redaction tool.

Redaction is a more advanced feature, so you won't find it on every PDF editor.

PDF Pro

One of the best ways to redact a PDF without Adobe Acrobat is by using PDF Pro.

PDF Pro is our all-in-one PDF editor, converter, security tool and more, made specifically for Windows desktop.

Our whiteout tool allows you to easily redact entire sections of your PDF document in just a few clicks.

Don't have a PDF editor? Try PDF Pro for free today!

1. Open your PDF in PDF Pro
2. Press the Edit tab > Whiteout button.
3. With your mouse, click-and-drag the area of your document that you'd like to redact.
4. Press Continue in the Whiteout Redaction pop-up window.
5. Save your changes.

That's it!

Your PDF is now redacted, and the changes can't be undone by others.

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is a PDF editor well-known for their advanced tools (along with their high cost and steep learning-curve).

The high cost and steep learning-curve mean that Adobe Acrobat won't be right for everyone, but if you need the most advanced redact tools, you may not mind these costs.

Please note, you'll need to be subscribed to Adobe Acrobat to redact a PDF, you won't be able to redact PDFs with Adobe Reader.

Method 1: Redact an Area

1. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Press Tools > Redact button.
3. Use your mouse to click-and-drag over the area that you want to redact.
4. Click Apply.
5. Click OK.
6. Save your changes. (You can use Save As to avoid overwriting the original file, if you haven't already backed it up).

Method 2: Search & Redact

1. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Select Tools > Redact > Redact Text & Images.
3. Click the drop-down menu, and select Find Text & Redact.
4. In the search dialog box, specify if you search the current PDF, or all other PDFs in another location on your computer.
5. Type the word you want to search and redact. (You can also add other words to search for phrases, or search for patterns like phone numbers, credit card numbers, etc.)
6. Press Search & Remove Text.
7. Press the plus sign (+) next to the PDF name to see all instances of the word or phrase.
8. Press select all.
9. Press Apply.
10. Save your changes to finalize the redaction. (You can use Save As to avoid overwriting the original file, if you haven't already backed it up).

How to Redact a PDF on Mac

Mac's built-in Preview, the application that allows you to open and view PDFs, can also be used to redact PDF documents for free.

If Preview's redaction tool isn't quite enough for you, use a PDF editor that can redact PDFs on Mac, like PDF Expert.

Preview

Mac users can use the built-in Preview app to redact areas within a PDF, for free.

1. Open your PDF in Preview.
2. Press Tools > Redact.
3. With your mouse, click-and-drag over the area that you want to redact.
4. Save the changes to finalize the redaction.

PDF Expert

If you need a more powerful redaction tool for Mac, try using a dedicated PDF editor like PDF Expert.

PDF Expert is a third-party PDF editor designed specifically for macOS that gives you more control than Preview when it comes to redacting PDFs.

Method 1: Manually Redact an Area

1. Open your PDF in PDF Expert.
2. Click the Edit tab > Redact button.
3. Specify if you want the redacted area to be a black box or a white box.
4. With your mouse, select the area that you want to redact.
5. Once satisfied, press the Redact button again to exit Redaction mode.

Note: PDF Expert automatically (and permanently) saves changes made to your PDF once you close the file or switch the file you're working on.

Method 2: Search & Redact Text

1. Open your PDF in PDF Expert.
2. Click the Edit tab > Redact button.
3. Click the Search icon (on the right-hand sidebar).
4. Type the text you want to search for and redact all instances of.
5. Specify if you want the redacted area to be a black box or a white box.
6. Press Erase All to redact all instances of the word or phrase within your PDF. (If you want to remove words one at a time, use the Erase button.
7. Once done, press the cross sign > Redact button to exit Redaction mode.

Note: PDF Expert automatically (and permanently) saves changes made to your PDF once you close the file or switch the file you're working on.

Improve Security and Redact Your PDF Today

If you need to redact content within a PDF, you'll need to use a tool that has a proper redact feature.

Mac users can use their built-in Preview app to redact areas within a PDF. If they want even more control over redaction, they'll need to use a third-party PDF editor with a redaction tool.

Windows users will need to use a dedicated PDF editor with a redaction tool in order to safely and securely redact PDFs.

For Windows users, we recommend PDF Pro, our all-in-one PDF editor, converter, security tool, and more.

PDF Pro makes it easy (and affordable) to redact text and images within a PDF document.

PDF Pro also has other security features such as signatures, digital certificates, and password protection, that make protecting important documents a breeze.

PDF Pro can also help you:

• Password protect a PDF
• Remove a password from PDF
• Make a PDF non-editable
• Create a PDF stamp
• Print a secured PDF
• Delete pages from PDF

Buy Now Try PDF Pro Free

FAQ

Here are common questions about how to redact a PDF, that we've answered for you benefit.

How do I redact a PDF for free?

You can easily find free tools to redact a PDF with a simple Google search, however these don't offer the same level of security as paid versions.

Online tools often require you to upload your document before it can be edited, which may be a security risk (if you don't want to certain parts of your document to be seen, are you comfortable uploading the entire document to an unknown tool's server?).

How do I remove text from a PDF?

You can permanently remove text from a PDF by using a PDF editor with a redact tool.

Why can't I redact in PDF?

Not all PDF editors can redact, and most PDF viewers won't be able to. Redaction is more of an advanced feature of PDF editors.

If you can't redact, try using a dedicated PDF editor with a redaction tool.

How do you redact a PDF safely?

The safest way to redact a PDF is by using a dedicated PDF editor with a redaction tool.

How do you redact a PDF without Adobe?

One of the best ways to redact a PDF without Adobe is by using PDF Pro.

Steps: Open your PDF in PDF Pro > Edit tab > Whiteout button > click-and-drag the area that you want to redact > Continue > Save your changes.

How do I redact a PDF in Chrome?

You can't redact a PDF Google Chrome. Google Chrome only allows you to open, view, and print PDFs within your browser.

You'll need to use a PDF editor with a redaction tool if you want to redact a PDF.

How do you redact PDFs with PDF Expert?

There are two ways to redact a PDF with PDF Expert: redacting a specific area, or searching and redacting text in bulk. The simplest way is to redact an area, so we'll cover that here.

Steps: Open the PDF in PDF Expert > Edit tab > Redact button > specify the color of the redacted area (white or black) > click-and-drag with your mouse on the area you want to redact > Redact button to exit redaction mode.

Can I redact a PDF on Mac?

Yes! You can use Preview to redact areas in your PDF for free, or use a third-party PDF editor if you need even more control.

Is it free to redact a PDF on Mac?

If you use macOS 11 (or higher), then you can use the built-in Preview app to redact PDFs for free.

How do I black out a PDF on Mac?

The easiest way to black out a PDF on Mac is by using Preview.

Steps: Open the PDF in Preview > Tools > Redact > click-and-drag over the area that you want to redact > Save.