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Document Redactor – Black Out Text in PDF or Image
Hide account numbers, addresses, ID numbers or faces before you share a document. Draw black boxes over anything private, then export a flattened image or PDF – the page is rasterised, so the covered text is permanently removed, not just hidden under a shape.
Aadhaar, PAN ya bank number chhupaiye – file aapke device se bahar nahi jaati.
Drag on the page (mouse or finger) to draw a black box. Boxes are solid black and cannot be undone after export.
How to use the Document Redactor
- Choose a PDF or an image (JPG, PNG, WebP). PDF pages are rendered locally with pdf.js.
- Drag over each name, number or photo you want to hide. Use Prev/Next for other pages and Undo if a box is wrong.
- Pick PDF, PNG or JPG and press Download redacted file.
- Open the downloaded file and check every page before sharing.
Many “redaction” tools just place a black rectangle on top of the text. The text underneath is still in the PDF and can be copied out. This tool works differently: every page is turned into an image, the black boxes are painted into the pixels, and only those pixels are saved. The output has no text layer, links or hidden metadata from the original.
🔒 Privacy: this tool runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your files are never uploaded to Crop Desk or any other server, there is no sign-up, and you can even use it offline once the page has loaded.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone remove the black boxes later?
No. The page is flattened into a picture with the black pixels baked in. The original text is not kept anywhere in the exported file.
Will the redacted PDF still have selectable text?
No. Because pages are rasterised, the result is image-only. Run OCR afterwards only if you really need searchable text.
Is my document uploaded?
No. pdf.js and the redaction run inside your browser. Nothing is sent to Crop Desk or any server.
Is there a page limit?
Up to 50 pages are loaded at once to keep phones responsive. Split larger PDFs with the PDF Organizer first.