Why a simple black box is not enough
Many people add a shape over sensitive text and think it is gone. In reality, the text is still in the file: anyone can select it, copy it or remove the shape. Real redaction deletes the information itself.
Redact a PDF in three steps
- Open Redact PDF and select your file.
- Choose Black box or Blur, then drag over each piece of information to hide.
- Click Redact and download.
Redact PDFBlack out or blur sensitive information permanently.
Open the free toolHelpdf rebuilds the redacted pages as images: the hidden text no longer exists in the file and cannot be copied or recovered.
Black box or blur?
- Black box: the classic choice for legal and administrative documents. Everyone understands that something was removed on purpose.
- Blur: more discreet, ideal for screenshots, photos or faces. Helpdf’s blur first reduces the area to a few pixels, so it cannot be “un-blurred”.
What to hide most often
- Bank account and card numbers (keep only the last 4 digits if needed)
- ID, passport and social security numbers
- Home address, phone number, date of birth
- Signatures and handwritten initials
- Names of third parties who are not concerned
Before you send
Open the redacted file and try to select the hidden areas: nothing should be copied. If the whole document is confidential, add a password with Protect PDF instead, and send the password through another channel.