How to Redact PDF: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Updated August 2025 • 14 min read

How to Remove Text from a PDF? To properly redact a PDF, you can't just cover up text with black boxes. When you redact something, you permanently remove sensitive information from the document while keeping its structure and readability. This complete guide shows you how to use different tools to redact a document, from industry-standard professional software to free options.

Whether you'this step-by-step guide will help you redact legal documents, medical records, financial statements, or any other private files in a way that is safe, correct, and follows the rules.

Before You Start: Preparation Checklist

Essential Pre-Redaction Steps

1.Make a backup: Save an unredacted copy in a secure location. You may need it for future reference or to create differently redacted versions.
2.Identify all sensitive information: Review the entire document and mark every instance of data requiring redaction (SSNs, names, addresses, account numbers, etc.).
3.Check document type: Determine if it's text-based or scanned. Try selecting text if you can't, it's a scanned image requiring different methods.
4.Remove security: If the PDF is password-protected or has editing restrictions, remove them before redacting.
5.Flatten interactive elements: If the PDF has form fields, buttons, or layers, flatten them first to ensure all content is redacted.

Information Type	Examples	Search Tips
Personal Identifiers	Names, SSN, driver's license numbers	Search for specific names, patterns like ###-##-####
Contact Information	Addresses, phone numbers, emails	Search for @ symbols, area codes, street names
Financial Data	Account numbers, credit cards, balances	Search for dollar signs, account, balance keywords
Dates	Birth dates, service dates	Look for date formats MM/DD/YYYY or specific years
Proprietary Info	Trade secrets, pricing, client lists	Manual review of entire document required

Method 1: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Professional Standard)

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the industry standard for PDF redaction, offering comprehensive features and guaranteed permanent data removal.

Step 1: Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Pro version required, Standard doesn't have redaction)
File → Open, then select your PDF file
Ensure the file opens in Edit mode, not just Read mode

Step 2: Access the Redaction Tool

Click Tools in the top menu
Select Redact from the tools panel
The redaction toolbar will appear at the top of the window
Alternatively: Right-click text and select "Redact Text"

Step 3: Mark Content for Redaction

You have three methods to mark content:

Text selection: Click and drag to select specific text. Selected text is marked with red boxes.
Area redaction: Click "Mark for Redaction" → Draw a rectangle over any area (useful for images or scanned docs).
Search and redact: Click "Find Text" → Enter search term → Select which instances to redact. This finds ALL occurrences automatically.

Step 4: Review Marked Redactions

All marked areas appear with red overlay boxes
Review each redaction carefully once applied, changes are permanent
To remove a mark: Click the red box and press Delete
To adjust: Delete and re-mark the correct area

Step 5: Apply Redactions (Critical Step)

Click "Apply" in the redaction toolbar
Adobe will prompt: "Are you sure you want to apply redactions?"
Click "OK" to confirm
Important: This step permanently removes the marked information from the PDF. Marking alone doesn't redact you MUST apply.
Red boxes turn to solid black rectangles after applying

Step 6: Remove Hidden Information

After applying redactions, click "Remove Hidden Information" button
Adobe scans for metadata, comments, attachments, hidden layers, etc.
Review the list of items found
Check boxes for items to remove (typically all of them)
Click "Remove" to sanitize hidden data

Step 7: Save the Redacted Document

File → Save As (do NOT use Save, which might overwrite)
Choose a new filename like "[original-name]_REDACTED.pdf"
Save to a different location than the original
Close the original file to avoid confusion

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Pricing

Cost: $239.88/year or $29.99/month
Free trial: 7 days
Note: Adobe Acrobat Standard ($12.99/month) does NOT include redaction. Pro version required.

Method 2: Free Tools (LibreOffice Draw)

For users without access to Adobe Acrobat Pro, LibreOffice Draw provides a viable free alternative, though the process is more manual.

Step 1: Install LibreOffice

Download from libreoffice.org (completely free, open source)
Install the full suite (includes Writer, Calc, Draw, etc.)
Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Step 2: Open PDF in LibreOffice Draw

Right-click the PDF → Open With → LibreOffice Draw
Or: Launch LibreOffice Draw → File → Open → Select PDF
The PDF will be imported as editable objects
Each page opens as a separate Draw page

Step 3: Select and Delete Text

Click the text selection tool (arrow cursor)
Click directly on text to be redacted
The text object will be selected (handles appear around it)
Press Delete key to remove the text completely
For partial redaction: Double-click to edit text, select specific characters, delete

Step 4: Cover with Black Rectangle

After deleting text, draw a black rectangle where it was
Click rectangle tool → Draw over deleted area
Right-click rectangle → Area → Set fill to solid black
This provides visual indication that content was redacted

Step 5: Repeat for All Pages

Navigate through pages using the page panel on the left
Delete and cover all sensitive information on each page
This is tedious but ensures manual control over every redaction

Step 6: Export as PDF

File → Export as PDF
Choose filename (add _REDACTED suffix)
In export dialog, ensure "Hybrid PDF" is unchecked
Click Export

Step 7: Manually Remove Metadata

LibreOffice doesn't auto-remove metadata
Use ExifTool (command-line): exiftool -all= redacted.pdf
Or Adobe Reader (free): File → Properties → Description → Clear fields
Or PDFtk: pdftk input.pdf dump_data output metadata.txt then edit and update

LibreOffice Redaction: Pros and Cons

Pros: Completely free, truly removes data, works offline, cross-platform

Cons: Manual process, time-consuming, no batch processing, metadata requires separate tool

Method 3: Web-Based Redaction (FreePDFRedact)

Client-side web tools offer a middle ground: free, no installation, and privacy-preserving through browser-based processing.

Step 1: Navigate to FreePDFRedact

Open your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
Go to the FreePDFRedact website
No account creation or signup required
Works on any device: desktop, laptop, tablet

Step 2: Upload Your PDF

Click "Choose File" or drag-and-drop your PDF onto the page
The file is processed entirely in your browser never uploaded to servers
Large files may take a moment to load

Step 3: Select and Mark Content

Use the redaction tool to select text or draw areas
Selected content is marked for redaction
Navigate through pages using page controls
Review all markings before applying

Step 4: Apply Redactions and Download

Click "Redact PDF" or "Apply Redactions" button
The tool processes the file in your browser
Download button appears when complete
Save the redacted PDF to your computer

Why Client-Side Processing Matters

With FreePDFRedact, your PDF is never uploaded to a server because it works on the client side. JavaScript does all the redaction in your browser. This makes sure that your private files never leave your device.

Critical: Verification Steps

Never assume redaction worked. Always verify that sensitive information is truly gone:

Test	How to Perform	Expected Result
Copy-Paste Test	Try to select and copy text from redacted areas	Cannot select any text in redacted regions
Search Test	Use Ctrl+F to search for redacted information	Search finds zero instances
Text Extraction	Use pdftotext or "Save as Text" to extract all text	Extracted text contains no sensitive data
Metadata Check	File → Properties → Check all tabs for sensitive info	No sensitive data in properties, author, keywords, etc.
Visual Inspection	Zoom in on redacted areas at 400%	No partial characters visible, no text bleeding through

Verification is Not Optional

In a 2023 study, 34% of PDFs labeled as "redacted" still contained recoverable sensitive information because verification was skipped. Always test your redacted documents before distributing them.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using Black Boxes Instead of Actual Redaction

Drawing black rectangles with annotation tools looks like redaction but doesn't remove data. The original text remains fully intact underneath and can be recovered in seconds. Always use dedicated redaction tools that permanently delete content.

2. Forgetting to Apply Redactions

In Adobe Acrobat and similar tools, marking content for redaction is not the same as redacting it. You must click "Apply" to make redactions permanent. Marked-but-not-applied redactions can be deleted, revealing the original content.

3. Ignoring Metadata and Hidden Data

40% of redaction failures happen when metadata leaks. Document properties, comments, annotations, edit history, and embedded files can all have private information that stays even after the content is redacted. Always clean hidden data separately.

4. Missing Instances of Sensitive Data

Manually reviewing documents page-by-page often misses instances. Use search functionality to find ALL occurrences of names, numbers, or terms. Someone's SSN might appear in 5 different places missing even one is a breach.

5. Not Handling Scanned PDFs Correctly

To hide the pictures in image-based PDFs, you need to use area redaction. You have to black out both the text and image layers if you want to make them searchable with OCR. If you only redact one, the other stays the same.

6. Skipping Verification

84% of users don't verify redactions after applying them. Software bugs, user errors, or PDF quirks can cause redaction to fail silently. Always test that information is truly gone before distributing documents.

Key Takeaways

•Proper redaction requires dedicated tools Adobe Acrobat Pro DC for professionals, LibreOffice Draw or FreePDFRedact for free alternatives.
•Always apply redactions in multi-step tools marking content is not enough; you must apply/commit changes to make them permanent.
•Remove hidden data separately metadata, comments, annotations, and embedded files survive content redaction and must be sanitized.
•Use search features to find all instances manual page-by-page review misses sensitive data that appears in multiple locations.
•Scanned PDFs need special handling use area redaction for image-based documents or redact both text and image layers if using OCR.
•Verification is mandatory, not optional test every redacted document using copy-paste, search, and text extraction before distributing.

Bottom Line

To properly redact PDFs, you need to know the difference between covering up text and actually deleting it. The basic steps are the same no matter what tool you use: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC ($240/year), free tools like LibreOffice Draw, or browser-based solutions like FreePDFRedact. You find the sensitive information, mark it for redaction, apply the redactions to permanently delete the data, clean up the metadata and hidden content, save it to a new file, and check that the information is really gone.

This complete guide will help you avoid the most common mistakes people make when using annotation tools instead of redaction, forgetting to apply marked redactions, ignoring metadata, and skipping verification. Take the time to do it right: it takes 5 to 10 minutes to properly redact each document, but if you don't, you could lose thousands of dollars in fines, legal liability, and damage to your reputation.

When you apply redactions and save the file, the original information is gone forever. Keep this in mind: redaction is permanent when done correctly. Always keep safe copies of unredacted documents in case you need to make new versions with different redactions later. You can make sure that sensitive information stays private and your redacted documents follow the law and rules by following these step-by-step instructions and always checking your work.

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