How to black out text in a PDF so it stays hidden
Drawing a black rectangle over text looks right and is often wrong, because the text is still underneath. Blacking out properly means the box is the only thing left on that spot.
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Black out text
- Open the PDF. Drop it on LocalRedactor. It stays in your browser.
- Add boxes. Search and press Mark all, or add a box and drag it over the area. Resize it with the handles. Choose black or white for the fill.
- Check the list. The marks panel lists each box by page. Delete any you did not mean to add.
- Export and read the receipt. The text under each box is removed, the box is painted, and a separate check re-reads the saved file before it is offered.
A quick test for any “blacked out” PDF
Open the file, press Ctrl+A to select all, copy, and paste into a text editor. If words you blacked out appear, the box is only a drawing on top. Do the same with the search box: search for a blacked-out word.
Why the box matters too
Removing the text leaves a gap. The solid box shows a reader that something was taken out, and it stops the gap from being mistaken for a blank line. The verifier also checks that each box covers its area at full strength.
What it does not do
- Boxes hide what is under them in the exported file. They do not hide what is next to them: the length of a gap or the surrounding sentence can still hint at the content.
- There is no OCR. In a scanned page you draw the boxes yourself.
- The fill is solid black or solid white. There is no see-through or patterned fill.
- Encrypted PDFs are refused.
Questions
Is a highlight set to black the same as a redaction?
No. A highlight or a shape is drawn above the text and the text stays in the file. Use the text-removal export instead.
Can I black out part of a number?
Yes. Search for the part you want to hide (for example the first five digits) or draw a box over only that part.
Can I undo a redaction after exporting?
No, and that is the point. Keep your original file. Undo works on marks before you export.
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