Permanently black out sensitive PDF content
Choose a PDF, move through its pages and drag a rectangle over every name, address, account number, image or other detail that must not be shared. Review all marked areas, then export a new redacted copy.
Why a black rectangle alone is not enough
Drawing a shape over PDF text can leave the original words underneath, where someone may still copy, search or extract them. FigureOwl instead renders each page, applies the black areas to those pixels and builds a new PDF from the finished page images. The covered source content is not copied into the exported document.
Understand the image-only tradeoff
Because the new PDF contains rendered page images, unredacted text is no longer searchable or selectable. Links, form fields, comments, attachments, bookmarks, layers and digital signatures are not carried into the exported copy. Pages are rendered at a practical high resolution, but print quality can differ from the original vector document.
Redaction safety checklist
- Keep the untouched original in a secure location.
- Mark every occurrence of the sensitive information, including headers and repeated pages.
- Download the redacted copy and inspect every page at high zoom.
- Try searching or copying the removed value; an image-only export should contain no selectable source text.
- Use an approved professional workflow when legal, regulatory or organizational rules require formal redaction review.
Private browser-local processing
The source PDF and marked areas are processed locally on your device. FigureOwl does not receive or store the document. The tool accepts one PDF up to 100 MB and 50 pages, with an overall rendering limit to protect browser memory.