Remove a Social Security number from a PDF without uploading it.
An SSN is the master key to someone's identity, so a black rectangle that can be slid aside is not good enough. KeptPDF finds the Social Security numbers in your file and permanently destroys the text, all in your browser. The original never leaves your device. Give the result a quick review before you share it.
A black box over an SSN is not the same as deleting it.
Most redaction tools draw a colored rectangle on top of the digits. The nine numbers are still in the file. Open the PDF in another viewer, move the box, or just copy the page text, and the SSN comes right back. That is concealment, not removal.
Real redaction destroys the digits in the PDF structure. The numbers are gone, not covered.
KeptPDF flattens each redacted page so the text layer underneath is gone, then re-opens the file to confirm the numbers cannot be selected or recovered. Because the work happens in your browser, the version with the SSN intact is never uploaded anywhere. You can verify it yourself in the network tab.
A filled rectangle just sits on top of the text. Move it, switch viewers, or copy the page, and the hidden content is back.
The page is flattened to an image, so the text underneath is destroyed. There is nothing left to uncover.
What KeptPDF catches
Social Security numbers hide in more formats than you would expect. Auto-detect looks for all of them, plus the details that re-identify a person even without the number.
SSNs in every common format
123-45-6789, 123 45 6789, 123456789, and numbers tagged with a label like "SSN:" or "Social Security No." Auto-detect flags each one for your review.
SSNs inside scans and photos
If your PDF is a scan or a phone photo, KeptPDF runs OCR first, so it can find and remove a number printed in an image, not just live text.
The details that identify a person
A name, date of birth, address, and phone number can re-identify someone even with the SSN gone. Auto-detect surfaces those too, so you decide what else to remove.
Look-alikes you may want to keep
ITINs and EINs look like SSNs but are not always the thing you need gone. Every match is shown for your review, so you redact what matters and keep what does not.
How to redact an SSN from a PDF
Three steps, entirely on your device. Permanent, verifiable, no upload.
Open your PDF
Drop your file onto the page or pick it from your device. It loads into your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Mark what to redact
Auto-detect finds names, dates, Social Security numbers, account numbers, and more. Draw boxes over anything else you want gone.
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 PDF, so you are not hunting for each one by hand.
Never uploaded
There is no upload step. The PDF 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.
Built for the people who handle SSNs all day
Tax preparers, HR teams, lawyers, and anyone filling out a form that asks for a number they would rather not hand over.