How to Convert PNG and JPG Images to PDF Privately
A careful PNG-to-PDF or JPG-to-PDF workflow keeps page images on your device, preserves their intended order, and ends with a check of the finished document.
Read guide →Redact PDF
Draw boxes over sensitive content and export a PDF where those pixels are genuinely gone rather than hidden under a shape.
Drop a PDF here or click to browse
This PDF is processed in your browser and is not uploaded to opentools.
Reviewed 2026-08-15
Free Redact PDF – how it works
Most attempts at redaction fail in the same way. A black rectangle drawn in a PDF annotation tool sits on top of the text as a separate object, and the words underneath are still in the file. Selecting the page, copying, and pasting into a text editor reveals them. So does any tool that reads the content stream.
This tool takes a different route. Each page is rendered to a raster image at your chosen resolution, your redaction boxes are filled on that image, and the result is written back into a new PDF. The original text objects are not in the output at all, because the output contains pictures of the pages rather than the pages themselves.
The trade-off is deliberate and worth understanding. Rasterising removes the text layer, so the redacted document is no longer searchable or selectable, and the file is usually larger. For genuinely sensitive material that is the right trade, because a searchable document is exactly the one that leaks what you covered up.
How to use Redact PDF online
- Add the PDF and pick a resolution. Drop in the document and choose a raster resolution between 72 and 300 DPI. Use 150 for screen reading and 300 if the result will be printed or contains small type.
- Draw boxes over what must go. Mark each region to redact on the page previews. Cover generously; a box that clips the top of a line of text can leave enough of the letter shapes to read.
- Export and verify. Export the redacted PDF, then check it properly. Try selecting text over a redacted area and pasting it elsewhere. Nothing should come out, because there is no text layer left.
When to use it
- Remove names, addresses, or account numbers before filing a document publicly.
- Redact salary figures from a contract being shared with a wider group.
- Black out patient or client identifiers in records used as examples.
- Strip personal data from a document in response to a disclosure request.
Known limitations
- The output has no text layer, so the document stops being searchable and selectable. That is inherent to redacting by rasterising.
- File size usually grows, because page images are larger than the vector text and drawing instructions they replace.
- Only what your boxes cover is removed from view. Metadata, attachments, and content outside the visible page area are untouched, so run Remove PDF Metadata as well when a document is going out publicly.
Frequently asked questions
Is the redacted text really gone?
Yes. The exported PDF contains rendered images of the pages with your boxes burned into the pixels. The original text objects are not carried into the output, so there is nothing underneath to select, copy, or extract.
Why not just draw black rectangles in a PDF annotator?
Because an annotation is a separate object layered above the text. The words stay in the content stream and can be copied out or read by any parser. That mistake has caused real disclosures of supposedly redacted filings.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The document is processed by WebAssembly and JavaScript running inside the page, so the bytes never leave your device. There is no upload step and nothing to delete afterwards.
What resolution should I choose?
Use 150 DPI for documents that will be read on screen. Choose 300 DPI when the file will be printed or has small text, and accept the larger output. Below about 120 DPI, body text starts to look soft.
Can I still search the document afterwards?
No, and that is the point. Keeping a searchable text layer alongside redacted images would mean keeping the very words you removed. If you need searchability, redact first and then run OCR on the result in a separate tool.
Related free tools
Browse every pdf tools, or jump straight to pdf security.
Guides related to Redact PDF
Browser vs Cloud Image Tools: Privacy, Speed, and Trade-offs
The meaningful distinction is not the interface but where bytes are processed, stored, logged, and returned.
Read guide →How to Compress a PDF Without Uploading It
A browser-local PDF size reducer can decrease PDF size without an upload, but this workflow rasterizes pages and may remove selectable text, links, forms, and document structure.
Read guide →