Redact PDF

Automatically find & redact sensitive data without uploading it.

It automatically marks SSNs, account numbers, emails, phone numbers, and dozens more structured IDs, then flags names and dates for your review. Apply once and KeptPDF permanently destroys the text, then re-opens the file to prove 0 of it remains. Everything runs in your browser, so the unredacted version never leaves your device.

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 black box that can be removed is not a redaction.

Most "redact" tools draw a colored rectangle over text. The words underneath stay in the file. Copy the PDF to another viewer, move the box, and the original text reappears. That's concealment, not redaction.

The difference in one sentence

Real redaction destroys the text in the PDF structure. The underlying characters are gone, not covered.

KeptPDF flattens each redacted page to an image with a permanent black box burned in, so no hidden text layer survives underneath. The original words can't be recovered: not by a different viewer, not by selecting text, not by examining the file. And because everything runs in your browser, the unredacted version is never uploaded anywhere. You can verify it yourself in the network tab.

How to redact a PDF

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

1. Open your PDF

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

2. Mark what to redact

Click Auto-detect to mark sensitive data for you. Or redact the way you read: click a word, or drag across a line. No fiddly rectangle placement, and you can still draw a box over anything else.

3. Download the redacted PDF

Save the clean copy. The marked content is permanently gone: the page is flattened to an image, not just hidden behind a box.

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 can't be recovered. Give the result a quick review before you share it.

Auto-detect PII

One click finds names, dates, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses, and more across the whole document, without you marking each one.

Never uploaded

There is no upload endpoint. The PDF is processed entirely in your browser, so the unredacted version is never uploaded anywhere, stored on a server, or accessible to anyone but you.

Redaction certificate (Pro)

Pro users get a signed PDF + JSON audit certificate listing every redacted span, category, and page, which is useful for legal productions and compliance records. Whoever you send it to can independently confirm the file is the genuine, unaltered original: they drop the PDF into KeptPDF's verifier and it re-checks the fingerprint in their own browser, with no account and nothing uploaded.

More tools for sensitive documents

All on your device. None uploaded.

Questions, answered.

Is KeptPDF redaction permanent?
Yes. KeptPDF flattens each redacted page to an image, so the text layer is gone, not just covered. Unlike a color overlay or annotation, content under a redaction box cannot be recovered by switching viewers, selecting text, or examining the file.
What does auto-detect find?
Names, dates, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses and ZIP codes, emails, web links, and other sensitive details, including health and financial information. You can also draw boxes manually over anything the auto-detector missed, or turn individual categories on or off.
Is it free to redact a PDF?
Yes. It's free with no account, no daily limit. Pro ($29/month) supports larger files (hundreds of MB practical limit, browser memory dependent) and adds a signed redaction certificate.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Yes. KeptPDF runs OCR on scanned pages before redacting, so it can find and remove text even in image-only PDFs. The redaction still permanently removes what it finds.
Can I undo a redaction after saving?
No, and that's the point. Once you save the redacted PDF, the removed content is gone from that file. Keep a copy of the original if you need to re-redact with different selections. KeptPDF warns you before finalizing.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. KeptPDF runs in mobile browsers with the same permanent on-device redaction. Nothing is uploaded from your phone either.

Redact a PDF. Permanently, in your browser.

Open Redact PDF