Redact a PDF
Black out names, account numbers, or whole paragraphs — and Penstead rebuilds each redacted page so the text underneath is actually gone, not just hidden behind a box. Free, and the whole thing runs in your browser.
- Underlying text is removed, not covered
- Untouched pages keep selectable text
Runs in this tab — your file isn’t uploaded.
Redact in three steps
- 1
Open the file
Drop in the document with details you need gone — it opens right in the browser.
- 2
Black out what’s sensitive
Draw boxes over names, account numbers, or entire paragraphs on any page.
- 3
Redact, then send
Penstead rebuilds each marked page with the hidden content truly removed, then send it for signature — or download.
Real redaction, not a black box
Redaction that actually removes
A black rectangle drawn on top of text isn’t redaction — the words are still in the file, and anyone can copy them out or delete the box. Penstead rasterizes each page you redact and rebuilds it from the flattened image, so the text and objects under your marks are gone from the file, not merely covered.
- Cover text, numbers, or whole paragraphs
- Marked pages are flattened to remove hidden data
- Underlying text can’t be copied or recovered
- Handles scans and native PDFs alike
Pages you don’t touch stay sharp
Only the pages you redact get flattened into images. Every page you leave alone keeps its crisp, selectable, searchable text, so a 40-page report where you only blacked out two lines doesn’t turn into one big picture. You lose the sensitive data, not the rest of the document.
Why redact with Penstead
Truly removed
Hidden text is deleted from the file, not covered
Safe to share
No copyable data left under the black boxes
Rest stays text
Untouched pages keep selectable, searchable text
Redacting a PDF: what to know
Can the redacted text be recovered or copied out?
No. Each page you redact is flattened and rebuilt from an image, so the original text and objects under your marks are removed from the file — there’s nothing left to select, copy, or undo.
Is my file uploaded to redact it?
No. Your PDF is opened and rebuilt locally; it’s never sent anywhere. When you’re done, you download the cleaned file, and that’s the only copy that ever leaves your machine.
Is it free, and will there be a watermark?
Completely free with no login, and no watermark. The only change to the file is the material you chose to black out.
Do the redacted pages stay searchable?
The pages you redact become flattened images, so their text is no longer selectable — that’s the point. Pages you don’t mark keep their selectable, searchable text untouched.
Does this work on scanned documents?
Yes. Whether your PDF is a native document or a scan, you can draw over the sensitive areas and download a version with that content permanently removed.
About redacting PDFs
Redaction is what you do before a document with private details goes somewhere you can’t fully control — a court filing, a records request, a contract shared with a vendor, a screenshot for a support ticket. The stakes are unusual: getting it wrong doesn’t look wrong. A black box pasted over a Social Security number looks redacted on screen while the number sits untouched in the file, one copy-paste away from whoever opens it.
Penstead treats redaction as removal, not concealment. When you mark a page, it rasterizes and rebuilds that page from a flattened image, so the words and data beneath your boxes stop existing in the file. It all happens in your browser, which matters most for exactly the sensitive documents that need redacting — they never get uploaded. The result is a file you can hand off knowing the parts you hid are actually gone.
The document’s fixed. Now get it signed.
Send it to whoever has to sign, and get the signed copy back with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion. Signers never make an account; 5 requests a month are free.