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Hide text in a PDF

Hiding a passage with a black box doesn't always erase it: a copy and paste is sometimes enough to recover it. Here's how to really hide it, and how to check.

or drag it here

Processed on your device, nothing is uploaded

How do I hide text in a PDF?

  1. Choose your PDF.
  2. Drag over the passages to black out, or type a word to hide everywhere (a name, a number).
  3. Press “Redact and save”, then check the result with the test described below.

Two actions look alike but don't have the same effect. Placing a black or white box over text, with a drawing tool or the Edit tool, hides it on screen and in print: the text remains in the file, and a copy and paste or a search can make it reappear. Redacting, on the other hand, removes the information from the file.

On TwoDocument, each page where you place a black area is redrawn as an image, without the hidden text: it no longer exists in the file. The other pages stay identical, with their selectable text. The title, author, subject and keywords stored in the file are erased along the way.

The 10-second test: open the resulting PDF, search for the hidden word (Ctrl + F, or Cmd + F on Mac), then try to select the black area and paste it into an e-mail. If nothing comes out, it worked. Do this test on any document presented to you as “redacted”. The original document, for its part, is never uploaded: everything happens on your device.

Frequently asked questions

Why didn't my black box hide anything?

Because a box placed over the text is a drawing added on top: the original text is still underneath. Removing the box, or simply copying the area, makes it reappear.

When is a simple white cover enough?

For a document you are going to print and hand over on paper: text hidden with the Edit tool is not printed. For a file sent by e-mail or uploaded online, redact.

Is the searched word hidden everywhere?

Every occurrence in the PDF's text is hidden, regardless of capitals or accents. Tilted text and scanned pages can't be searched: hide them by hand, then check each page.

Is my document uploaded online?

No. Redaction is done in your browser; the original document is neither uploaded nor stored.

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