Video Tutorial by Gauging Gadgets
Permanently remove text, images, and personal data from any PDF - completely free.
Open Redact PDF Tool →Sharing a PDF with a client, colleague, or business? Before you hit send, you might need to permanently remove sensitive information like Social Security numbers, financial data, or confidential names. Unlike simply drawing a black box over text, proper redaction ensures the hidden content cannot be recovered, even by someone who knows their way around PDF editing software.
PDFGadget's Redact PDF tool runs entirely in your browser, which means your documents never upload to a server. The redaction happens locally on your device, giving you both privacy and speed. Whether you're on a laptop, tablet, or phone, the process works the same way.
Navigate to pdfgadget.com/redact-pdf/ in any modern browser. The tool works on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge across desktop and mobile devices.
Click the upload area or drag and drop your PDF file directly onto the page. The document loads instantly since all processing happens in your browser—nothing gets sent to external servers.
Use your mouse or finger to draw rectangles over any text, images, or sections you want to permanently remove. Each selection appears as a colored overlay so you can see exactly what will be redacted.
Scroll through the entire document to verify you've marked everything that needs removal. You can click undo or clear to delete it if you made a mistake, or add more selections as needed.
Click the "Download Redacted PDF" button to permanently remove the selected content. The tool generates a new PDF with black boxes replacing the redacted areas. Download your redacted document and it's ready to share.
Most PDF redaction tools either cost money, require desktop software, or upload your sensitive documents to remote servers. PDFGadget takes a different approach:
After applying redactions, your browser will prompt you to save the new file. Depending on your device and browser, you have several options for where to store it:
Some PDFs have security restrictions that prevent editing. Try opening the file in a regular PDF viewer first to check if it's password-protected. If the document is encrypted, you'll need to unlock it before redacting.
Make sure you're clicking and dragging to create a selection box, not just single-clicking. On touch devices, use a press-and-drag motion. If the page zoom is very high or low, try resetting to 100% zoom.
This shouldn't happen with PDFGadget since the redactions are permanently burned in when you download. Make sure you're opening the newly downloaded file, not the original.
In some cases, the redaction process can slightly increase file size due to how the black boxes are rendered. If you need a smaller file, run the redacted PDF through the Compress PDF tool afterward.
The text and underlying data are permanently removed from the PDF. Unlike simply adding a black shape on top (which can be moved or deleted), PDFGadget's redaction destroys the original content so it cannot be recovered by any PDF editing tool.
Yes. Draw a redaction box over any part of the page—text, images, signatures, or graphics. Everything within the selection area will be permanently replaced with a solid black rectangle.
The redaction tool focuses on visible page content. If you need to strip document metadata (author name, creation date, etc.), you may want to use additional PDF sanitization steps or check the document properties after redacting.
PDFGadget performs true redaction that permanently destroys the underlying content, it's not just covered up. This approach is secure for most personal and business use cases. However, certain legal, government, or regulatory contexts may require certified redaction tools with audit trails or specific approvals. Always verify compliance requirements with your legal team or compliance officer before using any redaction tool for sensitive documents.
No. Once you click "Download Redacted PDF" and download the new file, the redaction is permanent. That's why it's important to work on a copy and keep your original file stored safely.
Since processing happens in your browser, the limit depends on your device's memory. Most modern computers and phones can handle PDFs up to 100MB without issues. Very large files may process more slowly.