03 / HOW TO REDACT A PD
How to Redact a PDF
Upload your PDF – one file, up to 50 MB and 500 pages. The page shows uploading, then queued, then running with a percentage. You set redactions before the job starts.
To black out a section, click on the page image. That drops a fixed 200 by 26 point black box at the spot. Boxes are listed underneath and can be removed individually. You can place between 1 and 500 rectangles in total across the whole document. They are one list, and each remembers which page it belongs to.
To remove words or phrases, type them into the search terms field, separated by commas. You can enter up to 50 literal strings, each up to 200 characters. They are removed wherever they appear in the text layer.
04 / WHAT HAPPENS TO TH
What Happens to the File
Redaction runs on the server after your file is uploaded. The rasterising redactor does the work. Only pages that carry a redaction are re-imaged at the DPI you choose (120–300, default 200). Untouched pages keep their original vector text and quality.
After the redacted file is produced, it is re-opened and the text is read back. If any text remains on a redacted page, or if any search term survives anywhere in the document, the job fails instead of returning the file. The document's title, author, subject, and keywords are cleared as well.
The uploaded file is stored in private object storage and deleted after 1 hour if you are anonymous, or after 7 days for a signed-in account.
05 / LIMITS AND WHAT TO
Limits and What to Watch Out For
Search terms are matched literally against the text layer. That means a word inside a scanned image is not found – you have to cover those with a box. If your file is a scan without a text layer, search terms will not find anything.
The file type is decided by reading the actual bytes, never the file name. Renaming something to .pdf does not get it through, and a file that is not what the tool expects is rejected before any work starts.
Your file is also scanned for malware before anything opens it, so an infected file never reaches a conversion engine.
06 / WARNINGS AND WHAT
Warnings and What They Mean
The only warning this tool can return is RASTERIZED_PAGES. It tells you that redacted pages were re-imaged, so their text is no longer selectable. That is expected – it is how the redaction is made permanent – but it is worth knowing if you need the text on those pages to remain searchable.
If a job fails, it fails on purpose rather than handing over a file that still contains redacted content. Re-check your redaction areas and search terms, then try again.
FAQ
Common questions
Can I redact more than one PDF at a time?
No, this tool accepts exactly one PDF file per job. The file can be up to 50 MB and 500 pages. If you have several files, redact them one at a time.
Will the redacted text be truly gone forever?
Yes. The redacted pages are re-imaged, and the tool re-opens the finished file to read the text back. If any covered text remains or a search term survives, the job fails. You will not get a file that still contains hidden text.
Why is my redacted page no longer text-selectable?
That is what the RASTERIZED_PAGES warning tells you. Redacted pages are converted to images, so their text is no longer selectable. This is intentional – it is what makes the redaction permanent. Pages without redactions keep their original vector text.
Do search terms find text inside a scanned image?
No. Search terms are matched literally against the text layer, so words inside a scanned image are not found. If your PDF is made up of scans, you need to cover sensitive text with black boxes instead.
What happens if the redaction process fails?
The tool re-opens the produced file and parses it before offering it for download. If any redacted text remains, or if the file is broken, the job fails instead of returning the file. You can review your redactions and try again.
How long is my uploaded PDF stored?
If you are not signed in, the file is deleted after 1 hour. If you have a signed-in account, it is kept for 7 days. The file is stored in private object storage and is also scanned for malware before processing.