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WAVESPEED AI PDF REDACTION Files stay on your device
100% FREE

Redact PDF FreeRemove it for good, not just cover it.

Mark names, numbers, pictures or whole areas, or let the tool find emails, phone numbers, card numbers and more.
The text, image pixels and drawings under each box are deleted from the file, hidden data is cleaned out, and the result is checked before you download it.

True redactionFind & markChecked output
No sign-up No upload No watermark

Drop a PDF to redact

Black out text, pictures and areas for good, and clean out hidden data.

Any size · Nothing is uploaded
Done in your browser. Your PDFs are not uploaded.
THREE SIMPLE STEPS

How to redact a PDF

01

Open your PDF

Drop a PDF of any length. Password-protected files open with their password.

02

Mark what to remove

Draw boxes, select text, or search for words and patterns like emails and card numbers. Review each hit and keep or skip it.

03

Redact, check, download

Everything under the boxes is deleted, hidden data is cleaned out, and the new file is read back to make sure nothing is left.

WHAT IT DOES

Redaction that holds up

Content is deleted, not covered

Characters under a box are removed from the page, pictures get those pixels wiped inside the image itself, and drawings are cut. Copying, searching or moving the box shows nothing.

Find personal data fast

Search plain text or regular expressions, or use the built-in patterns for emails, phone numbers, US Social Security numbers, card numbers (checksum-verified), IBANs, dates and IP addresses.

Hidden data cleaned out

Remove document properties and XMP metadata, attachments, scripts, hidden layers, comments, bookmarks and tags. Page thumbnails are always removed.

Checked before you download

The redacted file is opened again: nothing may be left under any box, and every redacted word is searched for in the page text, metadata, form fields, bookmarks and attachments.

Labels and exemption codes

Fill boxes in black, white, grey or any colour, and print REDACTED, your own text or a FOIA exemption code such as (b)(6) on them.

Pages as pictures, if you prefer

For extra caution, turn any page into a picture of itself at the resolution you choose, so no text is left on it at all.

WaveSpeed AI

Need pictures for your documents?

Create illustrations, photos and covers from a short prompt with WaveSpeed AI.

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$1 in free credits for eligible new accounts. No card needed. Generators have separate account and credit requirements. The PDF redaction tool is free.

Redact PDF FAQ

Is this PDF redaction tool free?

Yes. Redact as many PDFs as you like, with no account, no page limit and no watermark.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. Your file is opened and redacted in your browser and never leaves your device. The first visit downloads the PDF engine (about 4.6 MB); your browser keeps it for next time.

Is the text really gone, or just covered?

It is gone. Characters under a box are deleted from the page content, the pixels of pictures under a box are replaced inside the picture, and drawings are cut. Annotations and form fields touching a box are removed too. A black rectangle is then drawn so readers can see where something was removed.

How do I check that the redaction worked?

The tool opens the redacted file again and shows the result: whether any text is left under the boxes, whether any redacted word still appears anywhere in the file (page text, metadata, form fields, bookmarks, comments, attachments), and which hidden data is left.

Which personal data can it find?

Email addresses, phone numbers, US Social Security numbers, payment card numbers (only those that pass the Luhn checksum), IBANs (checked with their check digits), dates in common formats and IPv4/IPv6 addresses. You can also search any word or a regular expression.

What does “remove hidden data” remove?

Document properties (title, author, keywords…) and XMP metadata, file attachments, JavaScript and other actions, content on hidden layers, and on request comments and links, bookmarks and accessibility tags. Page thumbnails, which show the page as it was, are always removed.

Can it redact scanned documents?

Yes, by drawing boxes: the pixels under them are removed from the scan. Search only finds text the PDF actually contains, so for a scan without a text layer, mark the areas by hand.

What doesn’t it do?

It doesn’t read text in pictures (no OCR), doesn’t redact inside attached files (it removes them instead), and doesn’t keep digital signatures valid. A box over a shared element, such as a letterhead used on every page, removes that element everywhere it appears. Review the result yourself before you share it.

Can I add exemption codes like (b)(6)?

Yes. Choose a label for all boxes in Options, or a different one per box in the Marks list: REDACTED, a FOIA exemption code from (b)(1) to (b)(9), your own text, or none.

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