How to Redact a PDF (Permanently, Not Just Hide)
To redact a PDF permanently, use a tool that removes the underlying text and image data, not one that just draws a black rectangle on top. Select the sensitive text or region in the Redact PDF tool and apply the redaction — the covered content becomes genuinely unextractable, unlike a box drawn in a PDF viewer, which can often be deleted or selected-and-copied to reveal the text underneath.
The mistake almost everyone makes
Drawing a black rectangle in a PDF annotation tool, or even in image-editing software, does not delete the text underneath — it draws over it. Selecting the text with a mouse, or removing the black shape in a different program, can reveal the "redacted" content in seconds. This has caused real, public data leaks from government and legal documents.
How real redaction works
Genuine redaction removes the selected text and any underlying image data from the PDF's actual content stream, replacing it with an opaque, non-reversible mark. There's nothing to "lift off" afterward because there's nothing left underneath.
Step-by-step
1. Open the Redact PDF tool and upload your document.
2. Select the text or draw a region over the content you need to remove.
3. Apply the redaction — this step is destructive and cannot be undone once you download the result, so double-check your selections first.
4. Download the redacted PDF and verify by trying to select or search for the redacted text; it should not appear.