---
title: "Redact a PDF properly, for free | Paperwing"
description: "Permanently remove sensitive text and images from a PDF on Windows or Mac with Paperwing, a free desktop app. Redactions delete the content, not just cover it."
url: https://paperwingapp.com/tools/redact-pdf/
---

1. [Home](https://paperwingapp.com/)
2. [Tools](https://paperwingapp.com/tools/)
3. Redact a PDF

Free tool · Windows and macOS

# Redact a PDF for real.

Black boxes drawn on top of text can be removed in seconds. Paperwing deletes the text and graphics under each redaction from the page itself.

[Download for Windows](https://github.com/rohanvijaykumar/paperwing/releases/download/v1.2.3/Paperwing-Setup-1.2.3-x64.exe) · [Download for Mac](https://github.com/rohanvijaykumar/paperwing/releases/download/v1.2.3/Paperwing-1.2.3-mac-arm64.dmg) · [Download Paperwing](https://paperwingapp.com/download/)

v1.2.3 · Windows 10 and 11 · 188 MB v1.2.3 · Apple Silicon · 192 MB · [Intel Mac?](https://paperwingapp.com/download/#mac) Free for Windows and macOS · v1.2.3 [Other versions](https://paperwingapp.com/download/)

## How to redact a PDF properly, with Paperwing

1. Open Paperwing and drop your PDF on the window, or press Ctrl+O (⌘O on a Mac).
2. Open **All tools** and choose **Redact a PDF** .
3. Mark the text or areas you want removed.
4. Apply the redactions. The content under each mark is deleted from the page.
5. Run **Sanitize PDF** to strip metadata, hidden data and scripts too, then save a copy with Shift+Ctrl+S.

## What you can do

- Remove text and graphics permanently, not just cover them
- Strip metadata such as author and title with **Remove Metadata**
- Remove annotations, scripts, attachments and more with **Sanitize PDF**
- Flatten the result so nothing is left editable

## Why do it on your computer

Redaction is for the documents that matter most: court filings, HR records, medical files. Paperwing does it on your computer, so the unredacted version never leaves it.

**Paperwing is a free, open-source desktop app** for Windows and macOS with more than 100 PDF tools. It works offline, there’s no account, and every tool is free. [Download it](https://paperwingapp.com/download/) or [browse all the tools](https://paperwingapp.com/tools/) .

## Questions

### How do I know the text is really gone?

After applying redactions, try selecting or searching for the removed text: there’s nothing left to find. Save as a new file and keep the original somewhere safe.

### Does redaction remove metadata?

No. Redaction removes page content. Use **Sanitize PDF** or **Remove Metadata** to strip the author, title and other hidden data.

## Related tools

[**Lock a PDF** Add a password and AES encryption to a PDF, or set permissions, on Windows or Mac with Paperwing, a free desktop app.](https://paperwingapp.com/tools/password-protect-pdf/) · [**Edit a PDF** Edit the text and images in a PDF on Windows or Mac with Paperwing, a free desktop app.](https://paperwingapp.com/tools/edit-pdf/) · [**Compare two PDFs** See what changed between two versions of a PDF on Windows or Mac with Paperwing, a free desktop app.](https://paperwingapp.com/tools/compare-pdf/) · [**Split a PDF** Split a PDF into parts or extract pages into a new file on Windows or Mac with Paperwing, a free desktop app.](https://paperwingapp.com/tools/split-pdf/)

## Open your next PDF in Paperwing.

Free for Windows and macOS. No account, no subscription, nothing to sign up for.

[Download for Windows](https://github.com/rohanvijaykumar/paperwing/releases/download/v1.2.3/Paperwing-Setup-1.2.3-x64.exe) · [Download for Mac](https://github.com/rohanvijaykumar/paperwing/releases/download/v1.2.3/Paperwing-1.2.3-mac-arm64.dmg) · [Download Paperwing](https://paperwingapp.com/download/) · [Star on GitHub](https://github.com/rohanvijaykumar/paperwing)

v1.2.3 · Windows 10 and 11 · 188 MB v1.2.3 · Apple Silicon · 192 MB · [Intel Mac?](https://paperwingapp.com/download/#mac) Free for Windows and macOS · v1.2.3 [Other versions](https://paperwingapp.com/download/)