Search

Redact PDF Online – Forensic-Safe Verification Reports

Prevent annotation overlays and hidden-text leaks. We rasterize pages, burn black boxes into pixels, strip metadata, and generate a verification report. Works great on mobile.

Redaction features built for compliance teams

Automatic search-based redaction

Run automatic keyword, pattern, and whole-word searches so analysts can verify every hit before export with literal or smart case matching for client names and IDs.

Precision controls for manual boxes

Draw manual boxes with pixel previews, arrow-key nudging, and margin guides to keep signatures, slips, and complex layouts fully covered across every page.

Built-in metadata scrubber

Strip document info, XMP packets, attachments, bookmarks, and form fields with one toggle so hidden history stays out of the rebuilt PDF.

Detailed verification reports

Generate coverage metrics, keyword rescans, and packaged exports so reviewers can prove sensitive data stayed removed after redaction.

Audit-ready redaction vs. typical tools

See how pdfjuggler keeps verifiable evidence compared to the average PDF redaction utility.

Verification reports

pdfjuggler
Export an audit-ready PDF and JSON report that documents coverage, metadata changes, and processing hashes.
Typical redaction tools
Rarely provide machine-readable proof—teams resort to screenshots or trust the vendor's claims.

Keyword rescans

pdfjuggler
Automatically reruns your sensitive keyword lists against the redacted output so you know nothing slipped through.
Typical redaction tools
Stops after masking text; no automated confirmation that regulated phrases disappeared.

Metadata scrubber

pdfjuggler
Strips document info, XMP packets, attachments, and hidden objects every time you burn in redactions.
Typical redaction tools
Leaves authors, revisions, or attachments intact—requires another tool to finish the job.

Browser-only processing

pdfjuggler
Rasterizes and burns boxes locally in your browser; nothing leaves your device unless you save a report copy.
Typical redaction tools
Uploads documents to vendor servers for processing, triggering security reviews and extra approvals.
Read the audit workflow guide

Follow these steps to rebuild each page, prove your redactions, and share PDFs that stay sealed.

Leak-safe workflows for sensitive PDFs

Rebuild pages before you export

Rasterize every page so overlays and hidden text are replaced with clean image layers before you download.

Burn black boxes into the pixels

Every mark becomes part of the image data, leaving nothing selectable or recoverable with inspector tools.

Scrub metadata and hidden payloads

Strip authors, XMP packets, attachments, and forms so no residual data leaks beyond the rebuilt pages.

How to redact a PDF (forensically safe)

  1. Upload your PDF above.
  2. Add marks: type search terms (Enter/comma) or double-click a word to auto-mark; on desktop you can also draw boxes.
  3. Fine-tune: toggle “Snap to whole words”, remove marks, or undo manual boxes. If it’s a scan, you’ll see an OCR tip.
  4. Redact — we rasterize each page and burn black boxes into the pixels; metadata is stripped.
  5. Download — Grab the redacted PDF (and optional verification report).

Pair this Redact PDF with other tools

OCR PDF

Run text recognition on scans so redactions stay searchable.

Edit PDF

Make final content edits before sealing sensitive data.

FAQ

Is the redaction permanent and safe against PDF tools?

Yes. Each page is rasterized to an image and black rectangles are burned into the pixels. The rebuilt PDF does not include the original text content, annotations, or form fields.

What if my PDF is a scan (image-only)?

We detect likely scanned/image-only PDFs and show a notice. Search-based redaction may not work, but drawing boxes still permanently burns pixels. For text search afterward, run OCR on the redacted output.

Is the output admissible in legal contexts?

Many organizations require irrecoverable redaction. Our approach removes text/annotations and provides a verification report. Always confirm with legal counsel for your jurisdiction and case.

Does it also redact metadata?

Yes. When enabled, metadata (e.g., XMP, document info, attachments) is stripped during rebuild. Form fields and annotations are not copied into the output.

Will text inside images be safe?

Yes. Rasterization flattens the entire page into pixels, so hidden text or vector layers are not preserved. If you need searchability afterward, run OCR on the redacted output.

Can I redact multiple areas and pages at once?

Yes. Add as many boxes as you need across pages, then process them in one go.

Is there a verification report?

Yes. The report includes pixel coverage checks for marked regions and keyword scans over the output to help confirm that sensitive terms are no longer discoverable.

Are my files private?

Redaction processing happens in your browser; PDFs aren’t uploaded unless you request a verification report stored temporarily.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes. You can search and draw redaction boxes on touch devices like iPad or Android tablets.

How long does redaction take for a large PDF?

Rasterizing and redacting a 200-page PDF is streamed page by page, so finalizing the burn-in typically takes under a minute depending on your hardware.