Redact PDF
Free, permanent PDF redaction
Find sensitive text or draw precise boxes over any part of a PDF, then export a flattened document where the hidden content is permanently removed — not just hidden behind a box.
How to Redact a PDF Online
Permanently black out sensitive text in a simple 3-step process
Open your PDF
Upload the PDF you need to clean up. It opens straight in the redaction workspace, ready to mark up.
Find or draw redactions
Search for any word or phrase, auto-detect emails, phone numbers, and credit card numbers, or draw black boxes over signatures, addresses, and images by hand.
Review and download
Check every black mask in the preview, then export a flattened PDF where the hidden text is permanently gone — not just covered.
Permanent redaction, not a black rectangle on top
Most PDF editors just draw a shape over the text — the words are still underneath and can be copied, searched, or lifted out. BGBlur flattens each page to an image and destroys the pixels under every mask, so redacted content is gone for good.
Auto-detect emails, phone numbers, and card numbers
Scan the whole document in one pass. Email addresses, phone numbers, and Luhn-valid credit card numbers each become a redaction area you can review — and it also catches text that was added later as a comment or annotation.
Search any word, or draw exactly where you need
Type a name, account number, or address to redact every match across all pages. Or draw a box directly on the page over a signature, logo, or photo, then move and resize it until it is right.
Your files stay private
Your document isn't shared or kept around. Only the finished, flattened copy is saved to your account so it appears in your processing history for you to download again later.
What makes BGBlur's PDF redaction different?
BGBlur is built for redaction you can actually trust: the sensitive content is removed from the file, not hidden behind a shape someone can move or delete.
Truly permanent
Pages are flattened to images and the content under each mask is destroyed — redacted text can't be copied, searched, or recovered.
Works on any PDF
Auto-detection works on any PDF with a text layer; for image-only scans, draw your redaction boxes by hand.
Auto data detection
One pass finds emails, phone numbers, and Luhn-checked card numbers, including text added as annotations.
Full manual control
Search any phrase across every page, or draw, move, and resize black boxes by hand.
Review before export
Every detected and drawn area is listed and shown on the page so you can check it before downloading.
Free and no install
No watermark, no desktop software, works on mobile and desktop. One credit per PDF, up to 100 pages.
Redacting Sensitive PDFs the Permanent Way
BGBlur's PDF redaction tool covers emails, phone numbers, card numbers, names, signatures, and images with a solid black mask and then flattens the page, so the underlying content is permanently removed instead of just hidden behind a shape.
Use it to prepare FOIA and public-records responses, share contracts and invoices, remove personal data before publishing reports, or clean up scanned paperwork. Open the PDF, auto-detect or draw your redactions, review every mask, and export a clean copy — no desktop software, no sign-up hassle.
Powered by BGBlur PDF redaction
PDF Redaction FAQ
Open your PDF in BGBlur's redaction workspace, then either search for the text you want to hide, turn on auto-detection for emails, phone numbers, and card numbers, or draw black boxes on the page by hand. Review every mask in the preview and download the redacted PDF. It's free, with one credit per document.
It's permanent. Unlike PDF editors that draw a black rectangle over the text — leaving the original words selectable underneath — BGBlur flattens each page to an image and destroys the pixels beneath every mask. The redacted content can't be copied, searched, or lifted out of the exported file.
Your document isn't shared or stored. Only the finished, flattened copy is saved to your account so it appears in your processing history and you can download it again later.
Email addresses, phone numbers, and credit card numbers (validated with the Luhn checksum to cut false positives). Auto-detection also scans text that was added to the PDF later as a comment or annotation, not just the original document text.
Yes. Draw a box directly on the page over any signature, photo, stamp, or logo, then move and resize it. When you export, that area is flattened along with the rest of the page.
You can redact PDFs up to 100 pages and 200 MB. Larger files are rejected up front so the tool stays responsive on both desktop and mobile.
You can always draw manual redaction boxes on a scanned PDF. Automatic text detection needs a real text layer, so for image-only scans without OCR, use the draw tool to place your masks.
Yes, BGBlur's AI automatically tracks moving objects, faces, and vehicles. You do not need to manually mask every frame; the motion-aware tracker keeps the blur locked onto the subject as it moves.
BGBlur is a completely web-based tool. You can upload any video or image, select the Face Blur tool, and apply pixelation or blur instantly inside your browser without downloading any apps or plugins.
Absolutely. Our AI is trained specifically to detect and blur license plates in driving footage, dashcams, and street-view videos. It helps creators and transport fleets stay compliant with privacy laws.
Your privacy is our priority. BGBlur leverages advanced client-side technologies to process videos securely. Your files are processed locally in your browser and are never uploaded or stored permanently on external servers.
Yes! BGBlur is fully responsive and optimized for mobile browsers. You can easily blur a video background or pixelate faces directly on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone.
Limits depend on the feature. Standard video blur tools such as face blur, license plate blur, background blur, blur anything, screen blur, NSFW blur, and face anonymization support up to 500MB and 5 minutes on the free plan, or up to 1GB and 10 minutes on paid plans. Object Remover supports MP4 and MOV videos up to 1GB and 10 seconds per clip. Voice Anon direct uploads support up to 100MB, while the upload/URL workflow supports audio or video files up to 500MB and under 10 minutes.
Redact a PDF the permanent way
Search, draw, review, and download a PDF where the sensitive content is removed — not just covered — in a few clicks.
Redact a PDF now