Redaction removes sensitive information from a document before sharing it — names, addresses, ID numbers, financial data, or anything that shouldn't be visible to the recipient. Here's how to redact a PDF for free.
Redaction permanently covers selected areas of a PDF page with an opaque block — usually black or white — so the underlying content cannot be seen or recovered. This is used by legal professionals, healthcare workers, government agencies, and anyone who needs to share documents while protecting specific information.
Go to pdfeditor.onl/pdf-studio and upload the PDF you need to redact.
Select the Eraser tool from the toolbar. Draw over the text or image you want to redact. The eraser paints a white rectangle over the selected area, permanently covering it in the output file.
Tip: For black-bar redaction (the standard in legal documents), use the Watermark or Image Overlay tool to place a solid black rectangle over the sensitive area instead of the eraser.
Zoom in to confirm the redacted areas are fully covered. Then download the PDF. The redactions are permanently applied — the underlying text cannot be recovered from the output file.
Yes, when using the eraser or image overlay approach in PDF Studio. The output PDF contains only the visual overlay — the original text data beneath is not present in the exported file.
Yes. The eraser and image overlay tools work on any visible content on the page, including images, charts, and signatures.
Yes — the eraser and all editing tools in PDF Studio are completely free.