Redact PDF

Redact a birth certificate without uploading it.

A birth certificate proves who you are, which is why a copy carries more than the one fact most checks ask for: a certificate number, your parents' full names, and sometimes an SSN. KeptPDF removes what you choose and permanently destroys the text, all in your browser. The original 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 the certificate number still leaves it in the file.

Most PDF tools redact by drawing a rectangle on top. The certificate number, the parents' names, and any printed SSN stay in the file underneath, recoverable by moving the box or copying the text. On a vital record you are sending for a single check, that is a lot of identity to leave attached.

The difference in one sentence

Real redaction destroys the detail in the certificate, so a covered certificate number cannot be recovered.

KeptPDF flattens each redacted page so nothing survives under the box, and it works in your browser, so the original certificate 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 birth certificate carries beyond the basics

Auto-detect surfaces the identifiers, so a copy for one check does not hand over a whole identity.

Certificate and file number

The certificate number and the state file number are flagged for your review, since they are reusable identifiers a verifier rarely needs.

Parents' names and birthplace

Your parents' full names, a mother's maiden name, and places of birth are surfaced, the very answers used as security questions.

An SSN, if it is printed

Some certificates and their paperwork carry an SSN. If one is present, it is detected so it does not travel on the copy.

Scanned or photographed copies

Vital records are usually scans. KeptPDF runs OCR first so it can find and redact text inside the image.

How to redact a birth certificate

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

1

Open your certificate

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 certificate, so you are not hunting for each one by hand.

Never uploaded

There is no upload step. The certificate 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.

When they need one fact, not your whole identity

Passport and benefits applications, school and sports enrollment, and any form that asks for a certified copy but only checks one line of it.

Questions, answered.

Does blacking out the certificate number remove it?
Not with most tools. A filled box is an overlay, so the number stays in the file and reappears if the box is moved or the text is copied. KeptPDF flattens the page so the number underneath is destroyed.
Can I keep the name but hide the rest?
Yes. You control each box, so you can leave the one detail a check needs and remove the certificate number, the parents' details, and any SSN. Review the certificate before you save.
Does it work on a scanned certificate?
Yes. KeptPDF OCRs image-only pages before redacting, so it can find and permanently remove text that exists only as part of a scan or photo.
Is it free, and is the certificate uploaded?
It is free with no account, and the certificate is processed in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. Pro ($29/month) adds a signed redaction certificate.

Redact a birth certificate, in your browser.

Open Redact PDF