Redact PDF
Cover what mustn’t be read with black boxes: draw areas or search for words and data like emails, tax numbers or IBANs. What you redact is really removed from the file, and everything happens on your device.
Processed on your deviceNothing is uploaded to servers
Drag one or more PDFs here
PDF files
Files are opened on your device and never uploaded.
How it works
Choose the PDF
Drag the file into the workspace or use the button. To search for the same words in several PDFs, choose them all.
Mark what to cover
Draw areas on the page, or type words and pick patterns (emails, tax numbers, IBANs…). You see everything that will be redacted and can uncheck what you want to keep.
Download the redacted PDF
Pages with redactions become images and the rest of the document is cleaned. MovaDoc checks the result before handing it over.
Frequently asked questions
Is what I redact really removed from the file?
Yes. Each page with redactions becomes an image with the black boxes painted in: the text, images and drawings underneath no longer exist, and neither does anything outside the visible area. The metadata (including the metadata inside photos), digital signatures, scripts, attachments and comments (if you choose), the structure for screen readers, and any form fields, bookmarks and links containing what you searched for or covered are removed too. MovaDoc writes the whole file again, so older versions saved inside the PDF disappear as well. An image that also appears on a page you didn’t redact stays on that page. At the end, MovaDoc reads the result again and, if what you searched for or covered is still there, it doesn’t hand it over.
Why do redacted pages become images?
It’s the safe way to make sure nothing stays hidden under the black boxes. In exchange, the text on those pages can no longer be selected, copied or searched, and the file may get bigger. Pages without redactions stay exactly as they were.
How is this different from a black rectangle in “Annotate PDF” or from “Flatten PDF”?
A black rectangle from “Annotate PDF” sits on top of the text, but the text is still in the file: it can be copied, searched or uncovered. “Flatten PDF” only moves annotations into the page content; what’s underneath is still there. Only “Redact PDF” really removes what you cover.
How does the search for emails, tax numbers or IBANs work?
Pick the patterns and MovaDoc finds them in the text of the pages: emails, Portuguese, Spanish and international phone numbers, Portuguese tax numbers (NIF), Spanish DNI/NIE numbers, IBANs and payment cards. NIFs, DNIs/NIEs, IBANs and cards only count if their check digits are right. Before redacting, you see every match and can uncheck the ones you want to keep. In a scan, with no text, search finds nothing: use “Areas” there.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. Searching and redacting happen in your browser and the file never leaves your device. The original stays as it was: check the result before sharing it.