Redact a PDF. Privately.
Black out names, addresses, account numbers or anything else private. Unlike a black highlighter, redaction removes the hidden content from the file for good, and your document never leaves your device.
- 100% private files never leave your browser
- No signup and no watermarks
- Fast nothing to upload or wait for
Free tools
- Sign PDFDraw your signature and place it
- Fill & add textType on forms and tick boxes
- Merge PDFCombine PDFs and images
- Organize pagesRotate, delete and reorder
- Split PDFExtract pages or split into files
- Redact PDFRemove private information
- Compress PDFMake a PDF smaller
- JPG to PDFTurn photos into a PDF
- Compress & convert imagesJPG, PNG and WebP
- HEIC to JPGConvert iPhone photos
How it works
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1
Open your PDF
Click Choose a PDF or drop the file here. It opens with the Redact tool ready.
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2
Black out private details
Drag over anything you want to hide. Switch to Select to move or resize a box, and undo works too.
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3
Download
Click Download. The content under the black boxes is removed from the file, not just covered.
Real redaction, not just a black box
Many PDF editors simply draw a black rectangle on top of the text. The words are still in the file, and anyone can copy them or find them by searching. AcornDoc rebuilds every page you redact as a picture with the black boxes burned in, so the hidden content is really gone. Pages you don’t redact stay exactly as they were.
Your document is redacted inside your browser and never uploaded, so the private details you’re hiding are never sent anywhere either.
Why can’t I select text on a redacted page any more?
To remove the hidden content for good, each redacted page is saved as a picture. Its text still looks the same, but can’t be selected or searched. Other pages keep their normal text.
Is anything else hidden in the file?
The download is built as a new file, so the original’s document details (such as the author and title) aren’t carried over. Pages you didn’t redact keep their text, so redact every page that shows private details.
Can I redact on my phone?
Yes. Drag your finger over the details you want to hide.
What you can do
Add text
Click anywhere and type. Your text automatically matches the size, color and boldness of nearby text. Change it anytime, including bold with B.
Tick boxes
Mark checkboxes and radio buttons with a tick, cross, dot or circle. Click a mark again to remove it.
Sign
Draw your signature with a mouse, finger or stylus, then place and resize it anywhere.
Draw
Freehand pen in any color and thickness, for notes and initials. Drag the corner to scale a drawing.
Lines & shapes
Draw straight lines, arrows, rectangles and circles. Hold Shift to snap angles. Drag the ends or corners to resize.
Measure
Set the drawing's scale (like 1/4" = 1' or 1:100), or calibrate from a known length, then drag to measure real distances. Calibrating is best for scanned drawings.
Highlight
Drag over text to highlight it, just like a marker pen.
White-out
Cover mistakes or old content, then type over it. The cover automatically matches the page's background color.
Add images
Insert logos, stamps or photos (PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF). Photo location data is removed automatically.
Organize pages
Drag thumbnails to reorder pages, and rotate or delete any page.
Merge PDFs & images
Combine PDFs and photos into one file with + Add files, or drop more files into the editor.
Redact
Black out account numbers, addresses or anything private. Unlike white-out, it's removed from the file for good.
Tips & limits
A few things worth knowing before you start.
Hiding private details? Use Redact, not white-out. White-out only covers text: it's still inside the file and can be copied or found by search. Redact removes it for good by saving that page as an image.
- Download before you close the tab. Nothing is stored on our servers, for your privacy, so your work exists only in this browser tab until you download it.
- Existing text can’t be retyped. Cover old words with white-out and type the new ones on top.
- Fillable form fields stay empty. Your answers are drawn on top, so they look right on screen and on paper, but form software won’t read them as filled in.
- Locked PDFs need unlocking first. Password-protected or restricted files can’t be opened.
- Added text uses Latin letters. English, Spanish, French and similar work. Other alphabets (for example Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Punjabi) and emoji show as “?”.
- No Word, Excel or scanned-text conversion. To make a file smaller, use Compress PDF.
Keyboard shortcuts
- V
- Select
- T
- Text
- M
- Mark (tick)
- L
- Lines & shapes
- R
- Measure
- D
- Draw
- Shift + drag
- Snap angle / square / circle
- H
- Highlight
- W
- White-out
- X
- Redact
- Del
- Delete selected
- ←→↑↓
- Nudge (hold Shift for 10×)
- Ctrl+Z
- Undo
- Ctrl+Y
- Redo
- Ctrl+B
- Bold / unbold text
- Ctrl+S
- Download
- + −
- Zoom in / out
- Esc
- Finish typing / back to Select
Questions
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Your PDF is opened, edited and saved entirely inside your browser. It never reaches our servers, and we can't see it.
Is it really free?
Yes. There's no account, no trial, no page limit and no watermark on your files.
Will my original file be changed?
No. Download saves a new copy (named “…-edited.pdf”). The original file on your device is never touched.
How do I edit text that's already in the PDF?
Use White-out to cover the old words, then use Text to type the new ones on top. Remember that the covered text is hidden, not deleted.
How do I change or remove something I added?
Choose Select (or press V), click the item, then drag to move it (even onto another page), drag the round corner handle to resize, or press Delete. Undo works too.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes, in up-to-date Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox. Tap the panel icon in the toolbar to see your pages. Detailed edits are easier on a larger screen.
Why does some of my text show as “?”
Added text currently supports Latin letters only (English, Spanish, French, German and similar). Support for more alphabets is planned.
How big can my file be?
Up to 200 MB. Everything happens on your device, so very large files may be slow on older phones.
Will links and form fields in my PDF still work?
Yes, in most cases. If you rotate a page and add something to it, links and form fields on that page are removed. Redacted pages are saved as images, so their links and text selection go too.
How accurate are measurements?
As accurate as the drawing’s scale. Scanned or resized drawings may not match their printed scale, so calibrate against a dimension you know and double-check critical lengths.