How to Redact a PDF on Windows
Windows has no built-in PDF redaction. Compare Adobe Acrobat, LibreOffice Draw and the Print to PDF trick, then check a redaction actually removed the text.
Windows has no built-in tool that truly redacts a PDF. Microsoft Edge lets you highlight or draw over text, but the words stay in the file underneath. To remove sensitive text for good, you need a program built for redaction, such as Adobe Acrobat Pro or the open source LibreOffice Draw.
Does Windows redact PDFs on its own?
No. According to Microsoft's own documentation for the Edge PDF reader, its feature list stops at: view, zoom, search, basic form filling, ink, highlighting, text notes and read aloud, current as of June 2026. Redaction is not on that list. Highlighting a word in Edge only draws color over it. The text sits untouched underneath.
How do you redact a PDF with Adobe Acrobat?
Adobe Acrobat has a dedicated Redact tool, part of Acrobat Pro. You open Tools, choose Redact a PDF, then mark text or images to delete. Acrobat draws a black bar and, once you apply it, deletes the marked content from the file rather than covering it.
- Open the file and choose Redact a PDF from the Tools menu.
- Select Redact text and images, then drag over each word, number or picture to remove.
- Search for a term, such as a name, to mark every instance at once.
- Select Apply, then Continue to also clean out metadata, comments and hidden layers.
- Save the result as a new file, so the original stays untouched.
How do you redact a PDF with LibreOffice Draw, without a subscription?
LibreOffice is open source office software for Windows. Its Redact command, under Tools, opens the document in LibreOffice Draw. You draw a rectangle over each item to hide, or let Auto-Redact search for a word, a pattern such as a credit card number, or a list you supply.
- Open the PDF in LibreOffice Draw, or use Tools, Redact from any LibreOffice app.
- For repeated data, choose Tools, Auto-Redact and add a target: a word, a pattern, or a built-in type such as an email address.
- Review the black rectangles Draw adds, and mark anything Auto-Redact missed by hand.
- Export the result as a new PDF. Do not just save over the original file.
Why doesn't "Print to PDF" fix a highlighted page?
A common shortcut is to highlight text in Edge or Word, then use the Microsoft Print to PDF option to save a fresh file. This rarely works. The UK's data protection regulator, the ICO, tested this exact method: a Word document with text hidden under a black highlighter, saved as a new PDF. Pasting the "hidden" text into a plain text editor brought it back in full. Printing to PDF kept the original characters. It only drew a black bar on top.
| Option | Removes the text? | Works offline? | Effort | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlight or black box in Edge or Word, saved or printed to PDF | No | Yes | Low | Text often stays selectable underneath |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro, Redact tool plus metadata cleanup | Yes | Yes, once installed | Medium | Paid subscription; a Pro plan is required |
| LibreOffice Draw, Redact or Auto-Redact | Yes, once exported as PDF | Yes | Medium | Manual review still needed; the interface takes practice |
| Print the page, black it out by hand, then scan it back in | Yes | Yes | High | Slow; quality depends on the scan; no digital trail |
How do you check that a redaction really worked?
Before you send a "redacted" PDF anywhere, test it yourself. A few checks catch most mistakes, and they take less than a minute once you know them.
- Select all the text (Ctrl+A) and copy it into a plain text editor such as Notepad. Anything that pastes back is not truly removed.
- Search the file (Ctrl+F) for the name, number or word you redacted. A match means it is still there.
- Try to click and drag over the black bar. If text highlights underneath, it was only covered, not deleted.
- Open the file properties, or run the Acrobat or Auto-Redact cleanup step, to check for leftover metadata such as the author's name.
ONYRI Sanitize takes a different approach: it works inside your browser on Windows too, with nothing to install. Drop in a PDF and it detects names, ID numbers and IBANs on its own, then exports a flattened PDF with the values masked. Its limit: automatic detection does not find a signature or a logo, so mask them by hand with the “Draw an area” tool, and the preview always needs a final look.
None of this makes a document anonymous by itself. A rare job title, a specific date or an unusual location can still point to one person, even after every direct identifier is gone. Treat redaction as a strong first step, then read the result with a critical eye before you send it.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I redact a PDF on Windows without paying for software?
- Yes. LibreOffice is open source, and its Redact and Auto-Redact tools remove text for good, the same way Adobe Acrobat Pro does. Microsoft Edge and Word can only draw over text, which is not real redaction, as shown above.
- Does Microsoft Word have a redaction tool?
- Not on its own. Word's highlighter changes the color behind text; it does not delete it. Saving or printing that page to PDF keeps the original characters underneath, as the UK's ICO demonstrated when it tested this exact method.
- Is the basic Acrobat Reader enough to redact a PDF?
- No. Acrobat's Redact tool is part of Acrobat Pro, also sold as Premium or Studio, not the basic Reader app used only to view PDFs. Choose a plan that lists redaction, or use LibreOffice Draw instead.
- Why does a redacted PDF sometimes still show a name in the file properties?
- Because redacting the visible text does not clear metadata such as the author's name or edit history. Acrobat's Continue step after Apply, and LibreOffice's export, both offer a separate cleanup step. Always check the file properties after redacting.
Sources & references
- PDF reader in Microsoft Edge — Microsoft Learn
- Remove Sensitive Information — Adobe (Experience League)
- Automatic Redaction — The Document Foundation (LibreOffice Help)
- How to disclose information safely: removing personal data from information requests and datasets — UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Mask a document without uploading it
ONYRI Sanitize finds names, identifiers, bank details and secrets in a PDF, a Word file or a scan, and masks them in your browser. You check the preview, then download a flattened copy.