Redact PDF Without Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat Pro is the most well-known tool for PDF redaction, but it costs $19.99–$29.99 per month and is only available on desktop. This free browser tool provides the same core capability — drawing permanent black-box redactions over sensitive areas — without any subscription or software installation.
Open your PDF by dragging it onto the upload area or tapping Browse. The tool renders each page using PDF.js so you can see the content you are working with. Click and drag to draw a solid black box over any text, image, signature, or other sensitive element. You can mark multiple areas on the same page and cover regions across different pages in the same session.
Clicking Redact & Download uses pdf-lib to write the redactions into the PDF file and triggers an immediate download. The output is a standard PDF that opens in any PDF reader. There is no watermark, no file size limit, and no account required.
This tool works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop and mobile. No plugins or extensions needed.
Click and drag on the page to mark areas to redact. Marked areas become solid black in the final PDF.
Preguntas frecuentes
- Does my PDF get uploaded?
- No. All redaction happens locally in your browser using pdf-lib. Your file never leaves your device.
- Is the hidden content truly removed?
- The tool overlays solid black rectangles on the PDF content. Standard PDF readers cannot see through them. For legally critical documents, verify the output and consult your legal team.
- Does this work on iPhone and Android?
- Yes. Touch-drag works on the canvas to draw redaction areas. The tool runs in Safari and Chrome on mobile.