Redact a PDF without uploading it

1. Start with a document you can experiment on

Open the two-page sample in Complyra. It is generated in your browser and contains a fictional email and reference in the same position on both pages. You can try the full workflow before choosing a document of your own.

For your own file, use an unlocked PDF of up to 12 pages and 20 MB. PNG, JPG, and WebP images are also supported. Complyra holds the document in browser memory; refreshing or leaving the redactor clears the work. Keep your original separately.

2. Cover the whole detail, including its edges

Drag a rectangle over the sample email and reference on page 1. Include a little space around the text so that small edge pixels are covered. On a phone, use your finger. You can use Undo or Clear page to correct a selection.

For keyboard selection, expand “Use keyboard selection controls.” Left and Top locate the rectangle from the upper-left corner; Width and Height define its size. All four values are percentages of the page. Select “Add area” to apply it.

Left: 5%
Top: 19%
Width: 80%
Height: 11%

This covers the sample email and reference. Review the actual page before exporting.

3. Handle repeated information page by page

When the same detail appears in the same place, select “Repeat last area on all pages.” Complyra copies your most recent rectangle using its relative position and size. It does not search for matching text or detect personal information.

Move through every page afterward. A different page size, rotated scan, or changed layout can put a private detail outside the copied rectangle. Use Undo on an affected page and add a new selection there. Additional selections on other pages remain in place.

• Check headers, footers, notes, and repeated identifiers.
• Cover images, QR codes, and barcodes when they contain information you intend to remove.
• Review the visible content; a selected-area count does not establish that the document is safe to share.

4. Download a new flattened copy

Once you have checked all the pages, tick the review checkbox and download the redacted PDF. Changing a selection clears that checkbox so you can review the changed result.

Complyra renders pages to images, replaces the selected pixels, and builds a fresh PDF from those images. It does not copy the original PDF text layer, attachments, or annotations underneath black rectangles. The resulting PDF also loses searchable text, forms, links, digital signatures, and accessibility tags. Large pages are resized to limit browser memory use.

5. Inspect the file you will actually share

Open the downloaded copy in a PDF viewer. Check every page at a readable zoom, including repeated details and codes. Confirm that useful content is still legible. Searching for the sample email should find nothing because the whole export is image-based; that search check alone cannot reveal a visible detail you forgot to cover.

Share the redacted download, not the original. If your recipient needs an accessible or signed document, use a workflow that meets that requirement; the flattened copy does not preserve those features.