Redact a PDF Without Adobe Pro
Black boxes in Edge don't remove anything. Here's what does.
The Short Answer
Microsoft Edge and the free Adobe Reader can't redact a PDF. You can draw a black box over text in either, but the text stays in the file underneath, and anyone can copy and paste it out.
Real redaction removes the text. You can do that free in your browser, which works on a locked-down work PC with nothing to install, and the document isn't uploaded anywhere.
Redact a PDF in your browser →Why a Black Box Isn't Redaction
A PDF stores text as text, with the page drawn on top of it. A box or highlight drawn in Edge or Reader is one more thing drawn over the page. It hides the words on screen, but the words are still stored in the file:
- Selecting across the box and copying it pastes the hidden text.
- Searching the PDF finds it.
- A box added as a comment or drawing can often be deleted or moved by whoever receives the file.
That's how "redacted" court filings and company documents end up leaking: the black bars were drawn on, not burned in.
What Edge and Adobe Can Do
| Program | Real redaction? |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge | No. It can draw, highlight, add text and fill in forms. |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) | No. You can only cover text. |
| Adobe Acrobat Standard | No. |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | Yes, with the Redact tool. Marking an area isn't enough: you must also apply the redactions. |
Redact a PDF Free, in Your Browser
- Open Redact PDF and select your document.
- Drag a box over each thing you want removed. Use Prev and Next to go through the pages.
- Click Redact & download.
Each page with a box is rebuilt as an image with the boxes painted in, so the text, fonts and pictures that were on that page aren't carried over. The new file also leaves out the document's title, author and other metadata, comments, form fields, attachments and bookmarks, any of which can repeat what you removed.
It runs in your browser, so it works without admin rights, and the file never leaves your computer. For a document you're redacting, that's the point.
Check It Before You Send It
- Open the redacted PDF, select across a blacked-out area, and copy.
- Paste into Notepad or a new email. Nothing from under the box should appear.
For a full check, use the Check a PDF for hidden text mode in Redact PDF. It looks for text lying under dark boxes on every page, and shows all the text the file contains so you can search it for the names or numbers you meant to hide. Use it on files you receive, too: it shows when someone's "redaction" is only a drawing.
Things to Know
- Redacted pages become images. Their text can no longer be selected or searched. Pages without boxes are kept as they were.
- The file gets bigger. An image of a page takes more space than its text. Choose JPEG instead of PNG in the tool's options for a smaller file.
- If you have the original document, deleting the text in Word or Google Docs and saving a new PDF is just as safe, and keeps the text selectable.
- Already sent a file with drawn-on boxes? See Can a redacted PDF be unredacted? for what the recipient can recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you redact a PDF in Microsoft Edge?
No. Edge's PDF tools can draw, highlight, add text and fill in forms, but there is no redact tool. You can draw a black shape over text, but the text is still in the file underneath, and anyone can copy it out.
Can Adobe Acrobat Reader redact?
No. Adobe's Redact tool is only in Acrobat Pro. The free Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Standard don't include it, so in those you can only cover text, which doesn't remove it.
How do I redact a PDF for free?
Open the Fair Toolbox Redact PDF tool, select your PDF, draw boxes over what you want removed, and click Redact & download. Each page with a box is rebuilt as an image with the boxes burned in, so the text underneath is gone, and the document's metadata is removed. It runs in your browser, with nothing to install and no upload.
How can I tell if a PDF is really redacted?
Try to copy the hidden text. Select across the blacked-out area, copy, and paste into Notepad or an email. If words appear, it isn't redacted. The Redact PDF tool's Check a PDF for hidden text mode does this for every page and shows the full text of the file.
What's the simplest way if I have the original Word file?
Delete the sensitive text in the original document, then save it as a PDF again. Nothing can be recovered from text that was never in the PDF. Check the comments, tracked changes and the file properties too, since they can hold names and details.
Is it safe to redact a PDF on a website?
Only if the file doesn't leave your computer. Uploading a document to an online service so it can remove confidential details sends those details to that service first. The Redact PDF tool processes the file in your browser and never uploads it.