Contracts and ID
How to properly redact personal details in a PDF
In short
Add the document to the tool below, tap the page and drag a rectangle over each detail that should go. When you save, the areas become permanently black and the text underneath is removed from the file.
Do it right here
When redacting makes sense
- when you send a bank statement only as proof of payment or income;
- when a document only needs to prove your name or address;
- on ID copies for landlords, letting agents or clubs that don't need every detail;
- on screenshots and documents shared in group chats.
Don't redact what an employer or government office actually needs: an application must contain the details it asks for.
The most common mistake
A black rectangle drawn in Word, in your phone's markup tool or in an ordinary PDF editor only hides the text visually. The text stays in the file: it can be selected, copied and searched. The tool here saves the page again as an image with the black areas, so the data is no longer in the PDF.
On photographed documents
If you only have the document as a photo, make it a PDF with Scan to PDF first, then redact it here.