Is the blacked-out text really gone from the file?

Yes. Redacted pages are rebuilt without the covered content, then flattened — the text cannot be selected, searched or extracted afterwards.

Can I redact every occurrence of a word at once?

Yes — search the term and mark all matches in one go, or use pattern matching for emails and numbers.

Does redaction change the look of my document?

Redacted areas become solid black boxes; the rest of the page keeps its exact appearance.

Guide · updated 2026-11-02

How to black out text in a PDF (so it stays hidden)

Drawing a black rectangle over a name hides it on screen — and leaves the name perfectly intact in the file, one copy-paste away from a data leak. Courts and companies have learned this the embarrassing way. Real redaction removes the text underneath, not just covers it.

PDFVelvet’s Redact PDF does true redaction, free: the marked areas are burned into the page on the server, and the text below them is gone from the file.

Step by step

1Open Redact PDF. Drop your file on the Redact PDF tool.
2Mark what must disappear. Draw boxes over the sensitive parts, or search the text — names, emails, account numbers — and mark every match at once, including pattern search for things like all email addresses.
3Apply and download. The pages are re-rendered with the marked areas removed and filled black. What was under the box is not in the file anymore — not selectable, not searchable, not recoverable.

Redact PDF

The test that proves a redaction is real

Open the redacted file, press Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C, and paste into a text editor — or just search the document for the redacted word. If the word shows up, the "redaction" was cosmetic. Files redacted here pass this test: the burned pages contain no trace of the removed text.

This is also the difference between the editor’s black rectangle (an annotation, fine for visual markup) and the Redact tool (removal). For anything sensitive, use Redact.

Frequently asked questions

Is the blacked-out text really gone from the file?: Yes. Redacted pages are rebuilt without the covered content, then flattened — the text cannot be selected, searched or extracted afterwards.
Can I redact every occurrence of a word at once?: Yes — search the term and mark all matches in one go, or use pattern matching for emails and numbers.
Does redaction change the look of my document?: Redacted areas become solid black boxes; the rest of the page keeps its exact appearance.

Ready to try it?

Free, in your browser — no signup, no watermark, files deleted after 60 minutes.

Redact PDF