PDFStack Tool
Redact PDF — Permanently Remove Sensitive Content Free
Permanently black out confidential information in a PDF before sharing it. PDFStack draws solid black rectangles over selected page areas (full page, top half, or bottom half), permanently obscuring the content in the exported PDF.
Open Redact PDF →
No file uploads
No account required
Free to use
Private & secure
Why redact PDFs before sharing?
Sharing unredacted documents with sensitive personal data, financial figures, or protected information can have serious legal consequences under GDPR, HIPAA, POPIA, and other data protection laws. Redaction removes content permanently — unlike highlighting over text in a Word doc, which can be stripped by the recipient.
How to redact a PDF
- 1Open Redact PDF in PDFStack.
- 2Upload your PDF.
- 3Enter the pages to redact (or 'all') and choose the area: full page, top half, or bottom half.
- 4Click Redact Pages and download the permanently redacted PDF.
All processing happens locally in your browser — no files are uploaded to any server.
Common Uses
Redacting personal data before sharing documents publicly, blacking out confidential pricing in a shared contract, removing sensitive sections from a report, complying with FOIA or data protection requests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the redaction truly permanent?
Yes. PDFStack draws an opaque black rectangle over the page content using pdf-lib's drawRectangle, which is embedded in the PDF's content stream. It cannot be removed by simply adjusting layers.
Can I redact specific words or sentences?
PDFStack currently redacts by page area (full, top half, bottom half). For word-level redaction, use Adobe Acrobat's redaction tools.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes — the black rectangle is drawn over the image content, covering it completely.
Is my document private?
Yes. Redaction happens locally. Your PDF never leaves your device.