What this does
- Finds emails, phone numbers, IBANs and your own search text on every page
- Lets you draw boxes over anything else
- Replaces each affected page with a picture at 200 dpi (you can change this) with the boxes burned in
- Removes the document’s metadata and earlier versions
- Reads the result back and confirms the redacted text is gone
What it can’t do
Know what you forgot. Read the document once more before sending. Also remember that the length of a box hints at the length of the word under it.
A worked example
A tenant sends a bank statement as proof of income. They search for their account number, let the tool find the IBANs, and draw a box over each transaction line they would rather not share. Three pages become pictures. The check reports that none of the redacted items remain.
Questions
- How is this different from drawing a black box?
- A drawn box sits on top of the text, which can still be selected and copied. Here, each redacted page is replaced by a picture of itself with the boxes burned in. The text, pictures and drawings under a box no longer exist in the file.
- Why do redacted pages lose text selection?
- Because they become pictures. That is what guarantees nothing is left underneath. Pages you do not redact are unchanged and stay searchable.
- How do I know it worked?
- After redacting, the tool extracts the text of the new file and looks for everything you redacted. It tells you the result, and it will not offer the download as safe if anything is found.
- Can it find things automatically?
- It finds email addresses, phone numbers and IBANs, and any text you type in the search box. Check the list, skip anything you want to keep, and draw boxes by hand over things it cannot recognise, such as signatures and photos.
Your file stays on this device
The tool above runs in a sealed frame that cannot send your file anywhere. It works with airplane mode on, and the counter above it stays at 0. Here is how you can check that yourself.
Related tools
- Find hidden content Check a PDF or Office file for hidden text, sheets, comments and tracked changes.
- Redact image Cover parts of a screenshot or photo with solid boxes.
- Remove metadata from a PDF Remove the author, software, dates and earlier versions from a PDF.
- Remove metadata Strip location, device and hidden previews from photos and documents.
- Encrypt or decrypt a file Lock any file with a passphrase before you send it, or open one you were sent.