How to permanently redact personal data in a PDF
Before you send a contract, a bank statement, a medical certificate or a scan of your ID, you often need to hide some of the data: an ID or account number, an address or a signature. Drawing a black box is not enough – the text underneath stays in the file and can be copied. PDFowo really removes the redacted content.
- Load the document
Drop the PDF in the box above – it opens in redaction mode.
- Find the data
The search panel looks for personal data straight away. Switch the pattern to e-mail addresses, phone numbers, payment card numbers or Polish ID, tax and bank account numbers, or type your own phrase.
- Redact
Click “Redact this one” for each result, or drag over any area with the mouse, e.g. a signature or a photo.
- Save the PDF
On saving, pages with redactions become images, so the hidden content is gone from the file for good.
Why a black rectangle is not enough
In many programs a redaction is just another layer on the page. The text underneath stays in the file: it can be selected, copied or found with search. There are well-known cases of “redacted” documents being published from which someone simply read the hidden data.
What the tool finds on its own
- Polish PESEL numbers (with check-digit validation) and NIP tax numbers
- Polish bank account numbers (IBAN PL)
- payment card numbers
- e-mail addresses and phone numbers
- any word or phrase you type in
Everything is free
Searching for data and redacting single matches and areas is free. You can also redact every match in one click – handy for long documents.
Frequently asked questions
Can redacted text be recovered?
No. A page with a redaction is saved as an image, so the text under the black box no longer exists in the file. Other pages stay unchanged.
Can I redact a signature or a photo?
Yes. With the “Redact” tool you can drag over any rectangular area of the page.
Is a file with personal data uploaded to a server?
No. The whole document is processed in your browser, which matters for data protected by the GDPR.
Does redaction work on scans?
You can always redact areas. Automatic data search needs text – for a scan, first recognise it with OCR in the PDF editor.