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Redact PDF

Permanently black out names, numbers and addresses. You approve every suggestion.

License

Privacy

Processed entirely on your device

Your files never leave your device.

About Redact PDF

Redact PDF permanently removes sensitive text from a PDF, not just covers it. It finds likely personal details, such as Aadhaar and PAN numbers, card numbers, email addresses and phone numbers, suggests them, and you approve or draw each mark yourself. The text is deleted from the file on your device; the document is never uploaded.

  • Mask Aadhaar before sharing
  • Share a bank statement
  • Legal disclosure
  • Medical records

How to redact PDF

  1. Drop the PDF or image

    PDF, JPG or PNG up to 500 MB.

  2. Review the suggestions

    Likely personal details are highlighted. Accept the ones to remove, dismiss the rest, and draw boxes over anything missed.

  3. Export the redacted PDF

    The marked text and image areas are removed from the file, not hidden behind a box.

Why your file never leaves your device

Most online tools upload your file to a server, work on it there, and keep a copy for a while. Thryve PDF does the work inside your browser instead, with code that runs on your own device, so there is no upload, no copy on a server and nothing to delete afterwards. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory. It also means the tools keep working on a slow connection once the page has loaded.

Questions, answered

Is the text really gone, or just covered?
Gone. Every page of the exported PDF is saved as a picture with the marked areas removed, so nothing underneath can be selected, searched or recovered by deleting a box. The rest of the text is no longer selectable either; run OCR PDF on the result if you need it searchable.
Can it mask an Aadhaar number?
Yes. Aadhaar numbers are checked against the pattern a real number follows, so genuine ones are suggested and random twelve-digit numbers are not. Approve the suggestion and export.
Does it redact scanned PDFs and photos?
Yes. On a scan or photo the marked area of the image is blacked out and the text layer, if any, is removed.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is opened and processed inside your browser tab, on your own device, and the result is saved straight back to it. Thryve has no server that receives files.
Is it free?
Yes. This page gives 10 free exports every rolling 30 days, with no account. Thryve Pro, $9.99 once with no subscription, removes the limit on every Thryve PDF, Photo, Media and Invoice page.
Do I need to sign up?
No. Drop a file and start. An account is only needed to buy Thryve Pro, so the licence can follow you between devices.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox on Android and iPhone, as well as on Windows, Mac and Linux. Since the work happens on the device, a large file takes longer on a phone than on a laptop.

Guides that use Redact PDF

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