How to Redact Sensitive Content in PDF - Safe/Online/Free

Part 1: How to Redact a PDF Without Adobe Pro

Don’t want to use Adobe Pro? Try Tenorshare PDNob , a smart and beginner-friendly tool made for all your PDF editing needs. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to remove private or sensitive information from a PDF quickly and safely. The best part? You don’t need advanced skills or expensive subscriptions.

PDNob offers powerful features like redaction, format conversion, and OCR—all in one easy app. Whether you're working on contracts, legal files, or personal documents, this tool helps you keep everything clean and secure with just a few clicks.

Key Features of Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor:

• Mark for Redaction to safely hide text or images
• Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, TXT, PNG, and more
• 100+ editing tools (text, image, watermark, background, links)
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to edit scanned PDFs
• Secure your files with password protection
• Merge and split PDFs easily
• User-friendly interface for quick navigation and editing

How to Redact a PDF Using PDNob PDF Editor

• Download and install Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor on your Windows or Mac. Open the software and click “Open PDF” to upload your document.

• Navigate to the Protect tab and select Mark for Redaction.

• Use your cursor to select text or images to redact—drag over paragraphs or specific areas. After reviewing, click Apply Redaction to permanently remove marked content.


• You can also use the “Comment” tab’s highlighter tool with a dark color to manually blackout sensitive information if preferred.

• Once redaction is complete, go to “File” > “Save As” to export and save your redacted PDF to your desired location.

Part 2: How to Redact Information on PDF in Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat 's built-in PDF document redaction tool lets you permanently remove private text or images. This method is ideal for legal papers, contracts, or anything that must stay confidential. If you're wondering how to redact in PDF the official way, Adobe Acrobat gives you full control with professional tools and customization options. Just follow the steps below.

How to Redact a PDF with Adobe Acrobat

• Go to the Adobe Acrobat’s top menu, click on Tools, then select Redact to open the redaction tools.

• Use the crosshair cursor to draw boxes over the text or images you want to remove.
• Click the dropdown next to Redact Text & Images, then choose Redaction Tool Properties. Here, you can pick a custom fill color, outline, or even add overlay text like “CONFIDENTIAL”.

• A pop-up message will warn you that the redaction is permanent. Review your selections before continuing.
• In the same pop-up, you can choose to remove hidden metadata and other private info by keeping the Sanitize toggle turned on.

• Click OK to apply the redactions. The selected content will now be permanently removed. Save the redacted file using a new name to keep the original document unchanged.

Part 3: How to Remove Redaction from PDF Online Free

Online tools are a great way to redact PDF for free. One of the best options we’ve tested is AvePDF . It’s a simple, secure, and user-friendly tool that lets you edit and redact PDF online free without needing advanced skills. Best of all, your documents are automatically deleted from their servers within 30 minutes, so your privacy is protected.

How to Redact PDF Online Free Using AvePDF

• Go to avepdf.com. On the homepage, click “Redact PDF” or search for the redaction tool from the list of features.
• Click the “Choose File” button or drag and drop your PDF. You can also upload from Google Drive or Dropbox.

• Click “Add redaction marks”, then use your mouse to draw over the text or image you want to hide.

• To adjust a redaction, click the mark, then hit the Edit icon. You can change the color or title from the pop-up window.

• Click “Apply all redactions”, then hit “Save” to create your final redacted PDF.

• You can now download the redacted file or save it directly to your preferred cloud service.

Part 4. How to Redact or Remove Sensitive Content in PDFs via Foxit

Foxit is another reliable and professional tool for PDF document redaction. It offers a clean, easy-to-use interface with powerful features similar to Adobe Acrobat. Whether you're dealing with contracts, reports, or personal documents, Foxit makes it simple to hide or permanently delete private content. If you're still figuring out how to redact a PDF, Foxit’s redaction tool is perfect for beginners and pros alike.

How to Redact Information on PDF Using Foxit

• Launch Foxit on your computer. Open the PDF file that contains the text or images you want to redact.
• Go to the “Protect” tab in the top menu. Click on “Redaction” to open the available redaction features.

• Click on “Mark for Redaction”. Now, use your mouse to highlight the content you want to hide. Foxit will draw a red box over the selected text or images.
• Once everything is marked, go back to the Protect tab and click “Apply Redactions.” This will permanently remove or black out the marked content.
• A message will pop up asking for confirmation. Double-check everything before clicking OK, as the changes cannot be undone.
• After the redaction is applied, go to File > Save As and save your updated PDF under a new name to keep the original safe.

Part 5: Which Is the Best PDF Redaction Software

Now that we've gone through different tools, you might be wondering: Which one should I actually use? Don’t worry here’s a simple comparison to help you decide. Whether you're looking to redact PDF for free, use professional tools, or just need something quick online, there’s something here for everyone.

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Highlight:

When it comes to PDF document redaction that doesn't cost a lot or involves complicated menus, PDNob stands out as the best. It’s beginner-friendly, lightweight, and packed with advanced features like OCR, file conversion, and full editing options. Plus, you can use it offline without worrying about your files being uploaded to the internet.

So, if your goal is to redact PDF for free and also have access to professional editing tools, PDNob gives you everything in one simple app no tech skills needed.

Part 6. FAQs of PDF Redaction

What does how to redact a PDF mean?

Redacting a PDF means permanently removing or blacking out sensitive text or images to protect confidential information in your PDF document.

How do I redact text in PDF safely?

Use professional software like Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor or Adobe Acrobat Pro to select and permanently remove sensitive information, including hidden metadata.

How to blackout text in PDF Windows 11?

Use compatible PDF editors like Tenorshare PDNob or Foxit PDF Editor on Windows 11 to blackout or redact text securely.

Can I redact text images in PDF?

Yes, advanced PDF editors allow you to redact both text and images to ensure complete confidentiality.

Conclusion

It’s important to know how to redact a PDF when you want to hide private or sensitive information. With the right tools, PDF document redaction can be fast and easy.

If you want something simple and safe, try Tenorshare PDNob . It’s easy to use, has many helpful features, and works great for both beginners and regular users. Just open your file, mark what you want to hide, and save it’s that easy.

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PDNob PDF Editor Software- Smarter, Faster, Easier

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• Instantly read, summarize, and extract insights from PDF
• Convert PDF to 30+ formats like Word, Excel, and images
• Edit text, images, watermarks, links, and backgrounds for PDF
• 99% OCR precision for making scanned PDFs editable and searchable

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