# Redact a PDF: black out text and images for good

Source: https://www.mergevanta.com/redact-pdf
Updated: 2026-10-22

> Redact PDF online free: permanently remove text, images and personal data. Find emails, phone and card numbers automatically. No watermark, no sign-up.

Hide names, account numbers and anything else in a PDF so it can't be recovered. Draw boxes or let Find text mark emails, phone and card numbers and dates — the content under each box is removed, not just covered.

## How do I permanently redact text in a PDF?

In Mergevanta's Redact PDF tool, draw boxes over what you want gone or use Find text to mark words, emails, phone and card numbers, then press Redact PDF. The text, image pixels and drawings under each box are deleted from the file, not just covered, so they can't be copied or uncovered.

## Key facts

- **Price:** Free
- **Watermark:** None
- **Sign-up:** Not required
- **Accepts:** .pdf
- **You get:** A redacted .pdf
- **Processing:** Encrypted server for files up to 4 MB, your browser for larger ones
- **Files stored:** Never
- **Works on:** Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android

## Why use Mergevanta

- **Removed, not just covered:** Text, image pixels and drawings under each box are deleted from the file, so nothing can be copied out or revealed by moving the box.
- **Find personal data fast:** Search your own words plus emails, phone and card numbers, dates, web links, PAN, Aadhaar and Social Security numbers, then keep or skip each match.
- **Hidden data cleaned too:** Optionally remove metadata, attachments and scripts. Comments, links and form fields under a box are always removed.
- **Private and free:** No watermark and no sign-up. Uploads are encrypted end to end, processed in memory and never stored.

## How to use it

1. Click Choose PDF and pick your file.
2. Drag on the page to draw boxes, or use Add box and Cover whole page.
3. Under Find text to redact, type words or pick patterns such as Email addresses, press Find and untick any match to skip.
4. Choose the Box color and whether to Remove hidden information.
5. Press Redact PDF, then Download.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the text really gone, or just hidden?

It's gone. The characters, image pixels and drawings under each box are deleted and the old content is purged from the file, so searching or copying the redacted area finds nothing.

### Where is my PDF processed?

Files up to 4 MB are redacted on Mergevanta's server — encrypted end to end, processed in memory and never stored. Larger files are redacted in your browser and never leave your device.

### What happens with large files?

Above 4 MB, each page with a box is redrawn in your browser as an image with the boxes painted in, so nothing under them survives. Those pages lose their selectable text; pages without boxes stay exactly as they were.

### Can it find personal data automatically?

Yes. Find text spots emails, phone numbers, card numbers, dates, web links, Indian PAN and Aadhaar numbers and US Social Security numbers, plus any words you type. Check the matches, as unusual formats can be missed.

### Does it work on scanned PDFs?

Draw boxes over a scanned page and the image pixels under them are removed. Find text only searches real text, so run [OCR PDF](https://www.mergevanta.com/ocr-pdf) first if you want to search a scan.

### What does Remove hidden information do?

It also deletes the document's title, author and other metadata, attached files and scripts. Comments, links and form fields that sit under a box are always removed.

### Can I undo a redaction?

Not in the redacted file — that's the point. Keep your original somewhere safe if you might need the full version.

## Related tools

- [Protect PDF](https://www.mergevanta.com/protect-pdf)
- [Compress PDF](https://www.mergevanta.com/compress-pdf)
- [Edit PDF](https://www.mergevanta.com/edit-pdf)