When you want to hide sensitive info in a PDF file, simply drawing a black rectangle over the text in your favorite PDF editor or Microsoft Word isn’t enough. You are only masking the content, not removing it permanently. If you do this, anyone can simply copy and paste the text to see what’s under the mask. To make sure no one can recover the redacted information from a PDF file, you must use proper redaction tools, not just black highlighters or drawing shapes.
In this guide, I will show you two free and simple methods to redact a PDF file locally on Windows. By doing this offline, you don’t have to upload your file to a cloud service or website, which defeats the purpose of privacy and security. Let’s get started.
Redact a PDF Using PDFGear
PDFGear is a free PDF editor that lets you easily redact text and images in a PDF file locally. Here’s how to use it.
First, go to the official website and download PDFGear. Once downloaded, double-click the downloaded installer file (.exe) and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
After installing, open the Start menu, search for “PDFGear” and click “Open” to launch the application.
In the application window, click the “Open file” option on the left sidebar.
In the “Open” window, select the PDF file you want to redact and click “Open“.
Once the PDF file opens, go to the “Protect” tab on the top command bar and select the “Redact” option. Click “OK” in the warning prompt.
Now, your cursor turns into a crosshair (+). Use it to select the text, image, or anything you want redacted. PDFGear will automatically add a black bar over the selection.
Once you are done, press “Ctrl + Shift + S” (or click “File” > “Save As“).
Select a destination folder, give the file a new name using the “File name” field, and click “Save“.
Note: You can also press “Ctrl + S” to save changes. However, this will overwrite your original file. If you want to keep the original un-redacted copy for yourself, do not do this.
That’s it. With that, you’ve securely redacted a PDF file, and no one can recover the content under the black bars.
Redact a PDF Using LibreOffice Draw
If you want a free and open source application to redact PDFs, you can use LibreOffice Draw. Here’s how.
First, go to the official website and download LibreOffice for Windows. After downloading, double-click the installer file and follow the installation wizard to install LibreOffice. It will install the full suite of LibreOffice apps.
Next, open the Start menu by clicking the “Windows” icon on the keyboard, search for “LibreOffice Draw“, and click “Open“.
Once the application launches, click “File” and then “Open“.
Select the PDF file you want to redact and click “Open“. Next, click the “Tools” option on the top command bar and select “Redact” > “Rectangle“.
Now select the text or image you want to redact from the PDF.
After selecting all the text and images you want to redact, click “Tools” > “Redact” and select the “Export Redacted PDF (Black)” option.
Note: If you want the redacted text to look like it was erased (white) rather than blocked out, select “Export Redacted PDF (White)“.
Now, select a destination to save the file, enter a file name of your choice in the “File name” field, and click “Save“.
With that, you’ve saved a copy of the redacted PDF, and the original is unmodified. Open the redacted PDF with any PDF reader (e.g., SumatraPDF) and verify that everything is properly redacted.
That is all. It is that simple to securely redact a PDF locally in Windows. Once redacted, no one can see the content under the black bars. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
