pdfcosmos

Redact PDF

Black out sensitive text or images and permanently remove them, right in your browser.

Free, fast, and privacy-first.

Add the PDF you want to redact

or drag & drop a file here

PDF onlyone fileup to 100 MB

Redact a PDF: permanently black out sensitive content

Black out names, account numbers, signatures, or photos so they're truly gone, not just hidden under a box you can drag away. pdfcosmos redacts entirely in your browser, which is exactly what you want for the sensitive documents that need redacting: nothing is ever uploaded.

Drag a black bar over each thing to remove, across any pages. Every page you mark is flattened to an image with the bars burned in, so the text or picture underneath is destroyed and can't be selected, copied, searched, or recovered. Pages you don't mark are left untouched, with their selectable text intact.

  • Truly removes content

    Marked pages are flattened with the bars burned in. Nothing survives underneath.

  • Not just a black box

    Unlike drawing a rectangle, the content beneath can't be recovered by moving it.

  • Only the pages you mark

    Unmarked pages keep their original, selectable text.

  • Nothing is uploaded

    The safest place to redact sensitive files: your own browser, never a server.

How to redact a PDF

  1. Add your PDF

    Click “Select PDF”, or drag a single file into the upload area. Any PDF works, even a flat scan.

  2. Black out what to remove

    Click “Add redaction”, then drag a black bar over each name, number, signature, or image you want gone. Add as many as you need across any pages.

  3. Download

    Download your redacted PDF. The covered content is permanently removed, not just hidden.

Frequently asked questions

Are my PDF files uploaded to a server?
No. Your PDF is rendered and rebuilt entirely in your browser with pdf.js and pdf-lib. The file never leaves your device. You can confirm it in your browser's Network tab: no file data is sent.
Does this really remove the content, or just cover it?
It really removes it. Each page you mark is flattened to an image with the black bars burned in, so the text or picture underneath is destroyed. It can't be selected, copied, searched, or recovered by moving the box. This is the key difference from just drawing a black rectangle over the text.
Which pages are affected?
Only the pages you place a bar on. Those pages are rebuilt as flattened images (their text is no longer selectable). Every page you don't mark is left exactly as it was, with its selectable text intact.
Can the redacted text be recovered afterwards?
No. On a redacted page the original text and images are gone from the file. There is nothing hidden underneath the bar to extract. Keep your original if you still need the unredacted version.
What should I redact?
Anything sensitive: names, addresses, account or ID numbers, signatures, photos, or logos. Drag a bar over each one. You can add several bars per page and redact across every page of the document.
Is Redact PDF free?
Yes, it's completely free to use, with no sign-up and nothing to install.