Redact PDF
Redact PDF permanently removes sensitive content from your files — not just a black box on the surface like drawing shapes in regular PDF readers. It can auto-detect ID numbers, phone numbers and emails via OCR right in your browser. 100% free, unlimited.
When do you need it?
- Redact ID numbers and bank accounts before sending documents to third parties.
- Publish internal reports while hiding employees' personal data.
- Share contract templates with partners without exposing real customer data.
- Send document screenshots to support without revealing private info.
- Prepare documents before archiving or submitting to legal authorities.
Key features
- Removes data from the file structure — unrecoverable, unlike surface black boxes.
- Auto-detects IDs, phone numbers and emails with OCR for scanned pages.
- Handles both native PDFs and scans/photos of documents.
- Processes multiple pages and multiple files at once.
- Runs in your browser — free, unlimited, no signup.
How to use
- Upload or drag & drop your file — everything runs right in your browser.
- Pick your options and hit the process button.
- Download the result — fast, free, no account required.
Safety & privacy
Your file is processed directly on your device with JavaScript and WebAssembly — no uploads, no storage. OCR detection also runs locally, even for scanned pages. The most sensitive documents are exactly the ones you should not send to any online service — that is why this tool exists.
Genuinely free — no limits
KitsyApp is 100% free — no signup, no daily limits, no watermarks. Processing quality is on par with paid tools like Smallpdf or iLovePDF, and your files are processed on your own device instead of someone else's server.
Frequently asked questions
How is real redaction different from a black box?
A black box only covers the visual layer — the text underneath stays in the file and can be copied out. True redaction removes the data from the file structure, so it cannot be recovered.
Can the OCR read Vietnamese with diacritics?
Yes. The recognizer is tuned for Vietnamese and reliably finds ID numbers, phone numbers and emails in Vietnamese documents.
Does it work on scans and photos?
Yes. For pages without a text layer (scans, photos), the tool uses OCR to detect content and redacts by region, ensuring the information is fully removed from the output image.
Can redacted content be recovered?
No. The data is removed from the output file, not just hidden — that is the core difference that makes redaction safe versus manual covering.