How to Black out Text in PDF?

PDF files are used to share information within the organization and with third parties. Organizations use pdf files to share company reports, agreements, and other data with significant stakeholders. But before sharing the file, you may need to check it for sensitive and confidential information and hide it as needed. There are many tools available to black out PDF free.

This editing process is referred to as redacting. With the redacting tools, you can hide the sensitive information in the pdf file without altering the format of the document.

Why Do You Need to Black Out Texts in PDF Documents Sometimes?

"If you want to share the sensitive document with a third party without letting them access the confidential information within the documents, you may wish to blackout texts in the PDF files.", said by Ali Tarek from Fishing Creative. This process is called redacting, and it can be of great use in covering private information. Commonly redacted information are social security numbers, contact details, information about competitors, and even some trademark images.

When the file is redacted, the file will remain the same, and the edited portions appear as a black box. Redaction is essential to remove personal and sensitive information from documents before they are distributed and used by law enforcement, government, large and small businesses, and other third-parties.

Sometimes this is part of business policy, and the organizations are expected to comply with the privacy terms and regulations to perform business in some economies. Some states will levy penalties on businesses if they fail to blackout PDF confidential information and violate the rules. The legal fees, penalties, fines, and the loss of trust by the consumer can translate into bankruptcy for startups.

How to Redact Text in PDF for Free?

If the redaction in the PDF document is done incorrectly, it can expose the company's sensitive information to an unauthorized third party. You can now safely redact text in the PDF files for free using Adobe Acrobat Pro. Follow this step-by-step instruction on how to blackout text in PDF.

  • Open the PDF document and choose the text that you wish to blackout.
  • Go to the Tools menu and select the Redact Tool
  • A secondary toolbar will open immediately on top of the PDF file
  • From the toolbar, choose mark for redaction option and click OK
  • Choose the text that you want to blackout by double-clicking it
  • Click apply from the toolbar and then OK to confirm.

There is also an option to redact all private information from the file, such as authorship or revision history. For this, you have to choose 'yes' when the screen prompts you to 'Remove Hidden Information In The File.' If you want to redact only specific words, phrases, or names from the document, you can easily do so with the help of the find text tool from the tools menu. You can also repeat the redaction process across the document and also confirm the work performed by the Adobe Acrobat Pro tool.

Other Free PDF Redaction Methods

The other pdf blackout text methods that are available for free are:

Soda PDF

This tool helps in creating pdf files in more than 300 formats. With this tool, you can convert pdf files into many different file formats, edit their content, and even annotate them. To accomplish the process, visit the Soda PDF website and locate the PDF editor tool under the view and edit list.

Select the pdf file you want to redact after uploading it or through Google Drive or Dropbox. The edit box opens, click the create option under the secure toolbar. Drag the cursor over the area to be redacted, and it will get outlined in red. After you are done redacting, click the 'apply' button.

Small PDF

This tool helps in redacting the pdf files directly. This is a simple-to-use interface that is easy to edit pdfs. This tool helps to add text and also helps to modify the pdf by adding shapes and drawings.

Smallseotools

This tool helps in creating pdf files in more than 300 formats. With this tool, you can convert pdf files into many different file formats, edit their content, and even annotate them. To accomplish the process, visit the Smallseotools website and locate the word to pdf tool under the view and edit list.

Select the pdf file you want to redact after uploading it or through Google Drive or Dropbox. The edit box opens, click the create option under the secure toolbar. Drag the cursor over the area to be redacted, and it will get outlined in red. After you are done redacting, click the 'apply' button.

Blackout PDF Online

This is an excellent redacting tool for pdf files without making use of the software. This is free and is extremely easy to use. Users have to upload the pdf file and choose the blackout option on the top toolbar. Then you can highlight the content that has to be redacted directly. Click on the Done button after the redaction is completed.

Redaction is an essential tool for businesses that are clamoring for privacy protections. It helps remove important and sensitive information from confidential documents, documents for national security, intellectual property, etc., that are in the pdf format. The redacting tools help in concealing only protected information and leaves the rest of the content completely intact.

Redacted content appears as a colored box in the entire document, and finds extensive application in medical case sheets, court records, company confidential information, documents about government investigations. So, if you wish to blackout PDF free, look for the right tool.