How to Black Out Text in a PDF for Free
Permanently black out sensitive words, numbers, and sections in a PDF. Proper redaction removes the data — not just covers it visually.
FixMyPDF's redact tool blacks out text permanently — the content is removed from the file, not just hidden under a black box.
Why Black Box Annotations Are Not Enough
Adding a black rectangle over text using an annotation tool does not remove the underlying text from the PDF. Anyone who opens the PDF in a text editor, or selects all and copies, can retrieve the hidden text. For true redaction, the text data must be permanently deleted.
How to Black Out Text Properly
Go to fixmypdf.in/tools/redact. Upload the PDF. Draw redaction boxes over each text area to black out. Click Apply Redaction. Download the cleaned PDF.
Common Redaction Scenarios
Legal documents: redact party names before public filing. Medical records: remove patient identifiers before sharing for research. Financial documents: black out account numbers and sort codes. HR records: remove salary or performance details before sharing for dispute resolution.
After Redacting
Consider also removing metadata with the metadata remover — document metadata can reveal the author, creation software, and original filename which may inadvertently identify the source.
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