PrivScrub
Files never uploaded · processed in your browser

PDF redaction (true delete)

Draw black bars that actually remove the underlying text — not just cover it

PDF redaction (true delete) runs locally and is designed for verifiable privacy work: process, export, then confirm the sensitive content is gone before sharing.

Redacted sample document on a desk with local verification checklist
Redaction proofLOCAL
ProcessExportVerify
Processed in your browserWorks offlinePre-export self-check

Drag a file here, or click to choose

Processed locally in your browser — never uploaded

Operational notes

What this tool proves

Drawing a black box on a PDF is not redaction. Most tools just stack a black rectangle over the text while the underlying text objects stay intact — anyone can select-all, copy, or run a parser to recover what you thought was hidden (this is exactly how the Manafort and Epstein files leaked). This tool rasterizes any page that has a redaction and burns the black bars into the pixels, so the covered text is physically gone. Metadata is cleared by default. Everything runs locally in your browser; your file is never uploaded.

How to use PDF redaction (true delete)

  1. 1Drop or pick the PDF to redact — it stays on your device, nothing is uploaded
  2. 2Drag to select the areas to black out; you can mark several boxes across pages
  3. 3Click "Redact & export" — pages with redactions get rasterized with the bars burned in
  4. 4Open the output yourself and copy / select-all to confirm nothing is recoverable

Why this tool

We rasterize to truly delete the text under the bars instead of drawing boxes, and we strip metadata by default — fixing the classic Adobe trap of running Redact but forgetting Sanitize. Redacted pages lose their searchable text layer, which is the necessary cost of real redaction.

FAQ

Why can't I search the text on a redacted page anymore?
Because we turn that page into an image with the bars burned into the pixels — the underlying text objects are physically gone. That is precisely what separates real redaction from "drawing a box." Pages without redactions keep their text.
Is the text under the black bar really deleted?
Yes. Once the page is rasterized, the original text objects no longer exist, so copy, parse, and OCR all come back empty. We still recommend you verify by copy-pasting the output once.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. There is no file-processing server here. Everything happens in your browser and works offline.

Related tools

Fake-redaction detector / PDF inspector

See in one second whether text under the black bars is still copyable

PDF metadata removal

Wipe author, creator app, and create/modify timestamps that expose who you are

State privacy rights

Deletion laws near this workflow

These source-checked rows connect local redaction and PII cleanup to state privacy deletion rights. The cluster is staged noindex until final legal review.

2026-01-01 · CA

California

DROP consumer request intake begins

2026-01-01 · IN

Indiana

ICDPA takes effect

2026-01-01 · KY

Kentucky

KCDPA takes effect

Updated 2026-06-10 · PrivScrub

Sources, review and limits

Last verified

2026-06-17

Author

RedactCat editorial desk

Reviewer

Privacy workflow review

Primary sources

  • Local PDF/image parsing and canvas rendering APIs
  • User-marked redaction regions and export settings
  • OCR helpers where the page explicitly offers OCR

Redaction is high risk. Always inspect the exported file for hidden text, metadata, layers and missed sensitive information before sharing.