PDF Redaction Software
Nothing to install and nothing to upload. Drop one file to review matches, or drop a folder's worth to apply the same search to all of them.
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
How to use the PDF redaction tool
- Choose one PDF, or select several at once for batch work.
- For a single file, use the page arrows and zoom to find the content. Drag across text or a picture to draw a box, and click a box to remove it.
- To search, type words or phrases in the Find box, one per line. Tick Match case, Whole words only or Regular expression if you need them.
- Tick the patterns you want, such as email addresses, phone numbers, card numbers, IBAN or dates. Open National ID numbers (with check digits) to tick country IDs.
- Review the match list. Each row shows a kind, the text and a page link. Untick any match you want to keep, or use Select all or Select none. Matches appear as red boxes on the page, and unticked ones turn grey and dashed.
- Choose a Method (Auto is recommended), an Image resolution (150, 200 or 300 dpi), a Box colour (black or white), and whether to Keep web links.
- Click Redact and read the result card. Green means redacted and checked. Red lists the failed lines, and you can use Redact again with all pages as images.
- Download the file.
Batch files get the same words and patterns, cannot take hand-drawn boxes, and come back as a ZIP with each file checked. A password-protected PDF opens after you enter its password in the box that appears, and the password stays in the tab.
What does redacting a PDF actually remove?
Redacting a PDF deletes the content under each box instead of hiding it. The text is removed from the page content, pixels under a box in an image are rewritten with that area blanked, and drawings lying completely inside a box are deleted. The boxes themselves are then drawn as solid shapes on top.
Form fields and comment appearances are flattened onto the page first, so visible form text is searchable too. After that, annotations, bookmarks, attachments, JavaScript, accessibility tags, thumbnails, document properties and XMP packets are dropped. The output is built as a new file, so older saved versions and unused objects are not carried over.
Vector art that only partly lies under a box cannot be cut. Auto handles this by turning that page into an image, so the page no longer has selectable text.
How does the after-check decide a redaction is clean?
The after-check runs on every output. Two independent PDF readers, PDFium and pdf.js, open the new file and look for each removed string, and a raw scan covers every object, including compressed streams and hex-encoded strings. A render test catches text under a flat black or page-coloured area, and a structure test confirms that no comments, attachments, properties, XMP, older versions or unused objects remain.
The check reads text only. Words inside pictures are not read, and a scan has no text at all, so draw a box over any picture that carries sensitive content.
What do the detection patterns check?
Each pattern checks the format of a value and, where the number carries a check digit, whether that digit is correct. A flagged match means the format and check digit fit, not that the number belongs to a real person.
| Pattern | What the check requires |
|---|---|
| US Social Security number | Area not 000, 666 or 9xx; group not 00; serial not 0000 |
| Card number | 13 to 19 digits and a Luhn check |
| IBAN | Mod-97 check and the country’s length |
| Phone number | Loose format; may include look-alikes |
| Germany Steuer-ID | 11 digits, ISO 7064 MOD 11,10 |
| Spain DNI/NIE | Check letter, mod 23 |
| Netherlands BSN | 11-test |
| Japan My Number | 12 digits and a check digit |
| Brazil CPF and CNPJ | Two check digits |
| UK National Insurance number | Pattern only; invalid prefixes excluded |
A number is flagged only if its check digit is right. A 16-digit string that fails the Luhn check is therefore not flagged as a card number, so add it to the Find list if you need it removed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I redact a PDF for free?
Yes. The tool is free, needs no account, shows no ads and sets no cookies. Nothing is uploaded, and it keeps working with the network switched off after the first load.
Is this PDF redaction tool secure?
Your file stays in the browser tab because the tool runs locally and uploads nothing. The page’s security policy only allows requests to scrubproof.com. You still should open the output and check it before sharing.
Why isn’t manual PDF redaction enough?
Manual redaction depends on a person finding every instance line by line, and a repeated name or a missed number is easy to overlook. The Find list and pattern checkboxes locate every match at once, and the after-check looks for leftovers you cannot see.
Can I preview what gets redacted before finalizing?
Yes. Each match appears as a row with a checkbox, its kind, its text and a page link, and its box shows red on the page. Untick any row to keep that text before you click Redact.
What types of PII and other data can this tool detect?
It detects email addresses, phone numbers, US Social Security numbers, card numbers, IBAN, dates, IP addresses, web addresses, US EIN and ITIN patterns, UK National Insurance numbers, and national IDs for Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, Japan, Turkey and South Korea. Bank account and PIN values are not among the patterns, so search for those values as words in the Find box.
Does the redaction check text inside images?
No. The check reads text only, so a scanned page that has no text needs a box drawn over the picture. A box cannot be checked against the words it hides, so review the output by eye as well.
Will redacting change how my PDF looks?
Auto keeps text searchable and turns a page into an image only when a drawing sticks out from under a box. Choosing Turn all pages into images removes all selectable text, so use it only when you need that.
Can I redact several PDFs at once?
Yes. Select several files, and each one gets the same words and patterns. The results come back as a ZIP, and each file is checked separately.
Related tools
- Redact PDF: use it to find and delete text in one PDF.
- Redact PDF on a Mac: use it for steps on a Mac.
- Redact an image: use it to black out part of a photo or screenshot.
- Redaction check: use it to find text hidden under black boxes.
- Bates numbering software: use it to number a whole production.
Related tools
- Redact PDF: use it to find and delete text in one PDF.
- Redact PDF on a Mac: use it for the steps on a Mac.
- Redact an image: use it to black out part of a photo or screenshot.
- PDF redaction tool: use it to redact a PDF.
- Redaction check: use it to find text hidden under black boxes.
- Bates numbering: use it to number pages across files.
- Bates stamp: use it to add CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT to pages.
- Bates numbering software: use it to number a whole production.