The short answer
Use redaction, not a black rectangle: the characters are removed from the file and the space is covered. Then test it — select across the black area in the saved file and paste. Nothing coming out means the words are gone.
Step by step
- Open Redact PDF and add the file Pages render in your browser. The document never leaves the tab, which matters for the kind of file that needs redacting.
- Drag a box over everything that must go Names, account and card numbers, addresses, dates of birth, signatures. Boxes can overlap and you can draw as many as you need.
- Let the scanner find what you missed Auto-Redact Personal Info finds emails, phone numbers, card and ID numbers across every page and blacks them out in one pass — useful as a second sweep after your own boxes.
- Save, then try to copy the redacted area Open the saved file, select across a black box and press copy. Search it for the number you removed as a second check.
- Clear the metadata before sending The author name and editing dates are stored outside the page and travel with the file.
Questions
Why is a black rectangle not enough?
It is a graphic drawn over the text. The text object stays in the file and copies straight out, which has caused real leaks in published documents.
Can I redact a scanned document?
Yes. A scan is an image, so the box covers pixels — flatten the file afterwards so the box cannot be moved.
Is there a limit on pages?
No. The work happens on your device; a few hundred pages is routine.
What personal information should I black out before sending a document?
Anything the recipient doesn’t need: account and card numbers, national ID and passport numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers and signatures — and other people’s details on the same page. Auto-Redact Personal Info finds the common patterns for you to check before they are removed.
More in PDF Security & Privacy Tools .