Why black boxes and whiteout aren't redaction
Erase (whiteout) and Blackout only cover content visually, and the text underneath stays in the file where anyone can copy it out. Redact removes it: after you apply redactions, each affected page is rebuilt without the marked content.
Updated 2 min read Available on without an account, Free, Pro and Business
A black rectangle drawn over a name looks redacted, but the characters are still in the PDF. Select the area, copy and paste it, or open the file in another app, and the name comes back. The same goes for whiteout, and for text you replaced with Edit PDF: the old characters stay under a cover patch.
| Tool | What it does | Is the content still in the file? |
|---|---|---|
| Erase | Whiteout: covers content with a white box | Yes |
| Blackout | Covers content with a black box | Yes |
| Edit PDF / Find & replace | Draws new text over a cover patch | Yes, the old characters stay |
| Redact | Marks areas for permanent removal when you apply redactions | No, after you apply |
What real redaction does
When you apply redactions, each page with a mark is rebuilt as an image with the boxes burned in, so the text, images, links and form fields on it are gone. Metadata, attachments and scripts are stripped from the whole file, and PDFBetter reopens the result to check that no text can be extracted from the redacted pages. If you try to download while marks are unapplied, PDFBetter stops and shows Review and apply redactions, so a visual-only box can't slip out by accident. The step-by-step is in Redact a PDF permanently.
Before a PDF leaves your hands
- Redact what's visible. Mark every occurrence of the name or number; only what you mark is removed.
- Remove what's hidden. Sanitize PDF strips hidden layers, external links and comments that redaction leaves on pages you didn't mark.
- Lock it if needed. Password-protect the file when only certain people should open it.
Can someone undo the redaction in my download?
No. The marked content isn't in the file: affected pages are rebuilt as images and the output is checked by re-extracting its text.
Is this accepted for court filings?
It removes the content from the file, which is what redaction rules generally require, but each court sets its own rules. Check the filing requirements.
Tools in this article
Did this answer your question?
Related articles
- Redact a PDF permanentlyChoose Redact (in the Cover group), drag over everything to remove, then click Apply redactions and confirm. Text, images and drawings under each mark are removed from the file, not just covered, and the affected pages become images.
- Remove hidden data from a PDF before you share itUse Sanitize PDF. It shows what your PDF carries besides its pages, such as metadata, attachments, scripts and hidden layers, removes what you tick, and gives you a report. It runs in your browser.
- Password-protect or unlock a PDFUse Protect PDF: choose Require a password to open, set the Open password, pick what's allowed and click Protect PDF. Unlock PDF removes a password you know. Both run in your browser, and nobody at PDFBetter can recover a forgotten password.
- Edit the existing text in a PDFSwitch the editor from Fill out to Edit PDF (or press E), click a line of the document's text and type. The new text is drawn over a cover patch in the closest standard font; the old characters stay in the file unless you redact them.