Redact PDF

Redact a passport scan without uploading it.

A passport copy is an identity-theft starter kit: the number, the date of birth, and the two code lines at the bottom that encode all of it. When someone asks for a copy, you can hand over a version with the sensitive parts removed. KeptPDF blacks them out and permanently destroys the text and image underneath, 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 on a passport scan is just a sticker on the page.

When you drop a black box on a passport scan in most tools, it sits on top of the image. The number and the machine-readable zone are still in the file, recoverable by moving the box, and on an image the text can still be read if the overlay is removed.

The difference in one sentence

Real redaction flattens the page and destroys what is underneath, so the passport number and code lines cannot be recovered.

KeptPDF burns each redaction into the page as a flat image, so the number and the machine-readable zone underneath are gone, and it all runs in your browser, so the full scan 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 to black out on a passport

A passport copy has a few specific things worth removing before you share it. Draw a box over each, or let auto-detect find the text first.

The passport number

The document number is the key identifier on the page. Box it once and it is permanently removed, not covered.

The machine-readable zone

The two lines of code at the bottom encode the number, your date of birth, and the expiry. Black out the whole band so none of it survives.

Date and place of birth

Birth date and place of birth are flagged so a copy does not carry the details used to impersonate you.

Signature and anything extra

Box your signature, a visa stamp, or anything else the recipient does not need, and it is destroyed with the rest.

How to redact a passport

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

1

Open your passport

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

Never uploaded

There is no upload step. The passport 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 someone needs to see the photo, not the number

Identity and age checks, visa and travel paperwork, employment verification, and any KYC request that asks for a passport copy.

Questions, answered.

Does a black box really remove the passport number?
Only if the page is flattened. A box drawn on top of the scan leaves the number in the image underneath, where it can be recovered. KeptPDF flattens the page so the number and the code lines are destroyed.
Should I redact the code lines at the bottom?
Yes. That band is the machine-readable zone, and it encodes your passport number, date of birth, and expiry. Black out the whole zone so it cannot be read back.
Can it black out part of a passport photo or scan?
Yes. You draw a box over any area of the image, and when you save, that region becomes a flat black mark with nothing recoverable beneath it.
Is it free, and is the scan uploaded?
It is free with no account, and the scan is processed in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. Pro ($29/month) handles larger files.

Redact a passport scan, in your browser.

Open Redact PDF