True redaction · burnt into the page
Redact a PDF securely — free, and it never leaves your device
Draw a box over the names, numbers or images that must go. When you download, Bullet PDF rebuilds those pages so the content underneath is gone, not just hidden. And because the editor runs in your browser, the unredacted document is never sent to anyone — which is the whole point.
- Free
- No upload
- No sign-up
- No watermark
- Works offline
How to redact a PDF
Open the PDF
Click Redact a PDF and choose the file. It opens in Edit mode.
Mark what must go
Choose the Redact tool and drag a box over each piece of sensitive content. Boxes can be moved and resized; use the sidebar search to find every occurrence of a name or number.
Download with secure redaction
Press Download PDF. With Secure redaction on (the default), every page that has a redaction is re-rendered and the boxes are burnt in, removing the text and images beneath them.
Redaction you can trust
Content is removed, not covered
Redacted pages are flattened to an image with the boxes burnt in, so the hidden text cannot be selected, searched or extracted.
Find every instance
Search the document for the name or number and redact each hit.
Check the metadata
Open Document properties to clear the title, author, subject and keywords before you send the file.
Whiteout for the cosmetic cases
For covering a typo rather than hiding a secret, the Whiteout tool keeps the page as text.
Undo before download
Redaction boxes are ordinary objects until you download: move, resize or remove them freely.
No copies anywhere
Your document is never uploaded, cached on a server or logged. The only copies are on your device.
Questions about this tool
Is the redacted content really gone, or just hidden under a black box?
Gone. With Secure redaction on, every page containing a redaction is re-rendered to an image at 200 dpi and the boxes are painted in. The original text and images on those pages no longer exist in the file. (A plain black box drawn with the Rectangle tool would only cover the content — use Redact.)
What is the difference between redaction and whiteout?
Whiteout draws a solid box over the page and leaves the text underneath in the file, where it can still be copied. Redaction removes it. Use whiteout for corrections and redaction for anything sensitive.
Will the redacted pages still have selectable text?
No. A redacted page becomes an image, so its remaining text cannot be selected or searched. Pages without redactions are unchanged.
Does redaction remove hidden data such as the author name?
Redaction removes page content. Open Document properties in the Download menu and clear the title, author, subject and keywords yourself before sending.
Can I check the result?
Yes. Open the downloaded PDF in any viewer and try to select or search for the removed text; it will not be found.
Is my unredacted PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. That is why Bullet PDF is built to run entirely in your browser. You can confirm it in the browser's network panel: no requests are made while you work.
Ready?
It opens in a second. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Redact a PDF