How to redact personal data from a PDF
- 1Choose the PDF.
- 2Search for each name, email address, phone number or reference you need to remove, or draw boxes over signatures and photos.
- 3Check every page in the preview.
- 4Apply the redactions and download. The text underneath is destroyed, not just covered.
Why use PDF Workdesk for Redact PDF
- Runs in your browser: your files are never uploaded
- Free, with no sign-up and no daily limit
- No watermark on the result
- Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad
Redaction for subject access requests and disclosures
When you answer a subject access request, disclose documents or publish a report, other people's personal data has to be removed first. A black box drawn in Word or a PDF editor often leaves the text underneath, where anyone can copy it out. Here each redacted page is rebuilt as an image at 200 DPI with the black boxes burned in, so the hidden text is gone.
Because redaction runs in your browser, the unredacted document is never sent to a third party, which would itself be a disclosure to account for.
Before you share
Search for every variant: full name, initials, email, phone formats with and without spaces. Text in scanned pages can't be searched, so draw boxes over it. Check the document's properties too, in case the title or author names someone.
Frequently asked questions
Is the redacted text really gone?
Yes. Pages with redactions are rebuilt as images, so there's no text layer underneath to copy or search.
Can I still search the rest of the document?
Pages without redactions keep their text. Redacted pages become images, so their remaining text isn't selectable.
Is the PDF uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser.
Does this make me GDPR compliant?
It's a tool for removing data properly; deciding what to remove is still your call. Check the result before sharing it.