Redact PDF

Redact a background check without uploading it.

A background check pulls together a person's SSN, birth date, addresses, and history into one report. Whether you ran it or it was run on you, sharing it onward rarely means sharing all of that. KeptPDF removes what you choose and permanently destroys the text, all in your browser. The report never leaves your device. Review the result before you send it.

A document sealed inside a Faraday cage. Your files stay fully private, on your device. A document sealed inside a Faraday cage. Your files stay fully private, on your device.

A box over an SSN still leaves it in the file.

Most redaction is a colored overlay. On a background check the SSN, the date of birth, and the address history all stay in the file underneath, recoverable by moving the box or copying the text. For a report built entirely from someone's personal data, that gap is the whole risk.

The difference in one sentence

Real redaction destroys the identifier in the report, so a covered SSN or birth date cannot be recovered.

KeptPDF flattens each redacted page so nothing survives under the box, and it works in your browser, so the full report is never uploaded to a server. You can verify it yourself in the network tab.

A black box

A filled rectangle just sits on top of the text. Move it, switch viewers, or copy the page, and the hidden content is back.

KeptPDF

The page is flattened to an image, so the text underneath is destroyed. There is nothing left to uncover.

Covering text is not removing it. Give the result a quick review before you share it.

What a background check pulls together

Auto-detect surfaces the identifiers the report is built from, so you can share a result without sharing a person's whole profile.

SSN and date of birth

The Social Security number and birth date used to run the check are flagged across the report for your review.

Names, aliases, and addresses

Full names, listed aliases, and the address history are surfaced so you can remove the identifying trail.

License and reference numbers

Driver's license numbers, case numbers, and other IDs in the file are detected for your review.

Scanned or printed reports

If your copy is a scan or a photo, KeptPDF runs OCR first so it can find and redact text inside the image.

How to redact a background check

Three steps, entirely on your device. Permanent, verifiable, no upload.

1

Open your report

Drop your file onto the page or pick it from your device. It loads into your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.

2

Mark what to redact

Auto-detect finds names, dates, Social Security numbers, account numbers, and more. Draw boxes over anything else you want gone.

3

Download the clean copy

Save it. The marked content is permanently gone: the page is flattened to an image, not hidden behind a box. Give the result a quick review before you share it.

Permanent removal, nothing uploaded.

True text destruction

Each redacted page is flattened to an image, so the text layer is gone, not just covered with a shape. Content under a redaction box cannot be copied, selected, or recovered. Review the result before you share it.

Auto-detect the obvious stuff

One pass finds names, dates, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses, and emails across the whole report, so you are not hunting for each one by hand.

Never uploaded

There is no upload step. The report is processed entirely in your browser, so the original is never part of a network request and never sits on anyone else's server.

Redaction certificate (Pro)

Pro adds a signed PDF and JSON audit record listing every redacted span, category, and page, which is handy for productions and compliance files. Anyone you send it to can re-check the fingerprint in their own browser, with nothing uploaded.

For both sides of a screening

HR and hiring teams sharing a result internally, tenants and applicants passing along proof, and attorneys handling a report in a matter.

Questions, answered.

Does a black box remove the SSN on a background check?
Not with most tools. The number stays in the file under the box and reappears if it is moved or the text is copied. KeptPDF flattens the page so the SSN underneath is destroyed.
Can I keep the result but remove the personal data?
Yes. You control every box, so you can leave the part a recipient needs and remove the SSN, birth date, and address history. Review the page before you save.
Does it work on a scanned report?
Yes. KeptPDF OCRs image-only pages before redacting, so it can find and permanently remove text that exists only as part of a scan.
Is it free, and is the report uploaded?
It is free with no account, and the report is processed in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. Pro ($29/month) adds a signed redaction certificate.

Redact a background check, in your browser.

Open Redact PDF