Permanently redact sensitive information

Remove names, SSNs, addresses, and other PII from PDFs for good. Auto-detect sensitive data or manually select areas to black out. Everything runs locally in your browser.

Redact PDFs Now — Free

No file uploads

Permanent removal

No account needed

Drop your PDF here to get started or click to browse files

How to redact a PDF

Open your PDF

Launch PhantomEtch and open the document containing sensitive information by dragging it in or pressing Ctrl+O.

Select content to redact

Use the PII Scanner to auto-detect names, emails, phone numbers, and SSNs — or manually draw redaction boxes over any area you want to remove.

Verify & save

Review all marked redactions, then apply and save. The redacted content is permanently removed from the file — not just hidden, truly gone.

Frequently asked questions

Is the redaction truly permanent?+

Yes. PhantomEtch does not merely overlay black boxes — it permanently removes the underlying text and image data from the PDF. Once saved, the redacted content cannot be recovered by any means, including copy-paste, text extraction, or metadata inspection.

Does the PII Scanner auto-detect sensitive data?+

Yes. The PII Scanner uses pattern matching to identify common sensitive data types: names, email addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and physical addresses. You can review each detection and choose which to redact.

Can I undo a redaction after saving?+

No — and that is by design. Before saving, you can freely add and remove redaction marks. But once you apply and save, the redaction is permanent and irreversible. Always keep a backup of the original if needed.

Is this compliant with GDPR and HIPAA?+

PhantomEtch processes everything locally in your browser, so your sensitive documents are never transmitted to any server. This local-only approach supports compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, since no third party ever accesses your data.