Find and Redact
Search a PDF for text or a pattern and redact every match across all pages. Content is removed, not just covered with a black box.
PDF 파일 업로드
이 도구에 대하여
The classic redaction failure is a black rectangle drawn over text. The rectangle is a graphic sitting on top; the text is still underneath, still selectable, still copyable. Organisations have disclosed exactly what they were trying to hide this way, repeatedly and publicly.
This removes the content. Matching text objects are deleted from the file and a black box is drawn where they were - so copying the area yields nothing, because there is nothing left to copy.
Search runs across the whole document, which is what makes it practical. Redacting one account number that appears on 40 pages is one operation. Regular expression support handles patterns rather than fixed strings, so every card number or national insurance number in a document can be caught in a single pass. Matches are previewed before anything is applied.
사용 방법
Load the PDF
Drop in the document you need to redact.
Search for what must go
Enter text, or a regular expression to match a pattern such as a card or reference number format.
Review the matches
Every hit is listed with its page and surrounding context. Deselect any false positives.
Apply and download
Confirmed matches are removed from the file and blacked out on the page.
활용 사례
Disclosure and FOI responses
Personal details removed from documents before public release, properly rather than cosmetically.
Removing account numbers
One number appearing on 40 pages, caught by a single search.
Pattern-based redaction
A regular expression that matches every national insurance number in a document at once.
자주 묻는 질문
Is the text really gone?
Yes. The text objects are deleted from the file. Selecting or copying the redacted area returns nothing.
Why is a black rectangle not enough?
Because it is a graphic drawn on top. The text underneath remains in the file and can be copied or recovered - a well-documented cause of accidental disclosure.
Can I redact by pattern?
Yes. Regular expressions let you match formats rather than fixed strings, which is how you catch every instance of an identifier type.
Does it work on scanned documents?
Text search needs a text layer, so OCR first. Note that OCR text sits behind the image, so also confirm the visible image is covered.