Simply drawing a black box over text in a PDF editor isn't redaction — the text is still there underneath, selectable and copyable. True redaction permanently removes the underlying content. The text isn't hidden or covered — it's destroyed. No one can recover it, regardless of what PDF tools they use.
How to Redact Sensitive Information
Load & Scan
Drop your PDF into the redact tool. AI automatically scans for PII and highlights potential sensitive information with red markers.
Review & Adjust
Review each AI suggestion. Accept, reject, or add your own manual redactions by drawing boxes over any additional text that should be removed.
Apply & Download
Click Apply Redactions. The underlying text is permanently destroyed — not just hidden. Download the clean PDF safe to share.
What AI Redaction Detects
ModernPDF's AI automatically scans your document and flags potential sensitive information for review:
Identity Information
Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, dates of birth, full names in context.
Financial Data
Bank account numbers, routing numbers, credit card numbers, tax ID numbers, salary figures.
Contact Information
Phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, IP addresses.
Medical & Legal
Medical record numbers, case numbers, patient identifiers, insurance policy numbers.
AI detection is a starting point — always review the suggestions before applying. You can add manual redactions for anything the AI misses, and remove any false positives.
Why Local Redaction Matters
Think about what you're doing when you upload a document to a cloud redaction service: you're sending a file full of sensitive information — SSNs, account numbers, personal details — to a third-party server so they can help you remove that sensitive information. The document is at its most exposed at exactly the moment you're trying to protect it.
ModernPDF eliminates this paradox. The document containing your most sensitive data never leaves your device. The AI detection runs locally. The redaction is applied locally. The only version that exits your computer is the clean, redacted one you download.
For law firms handling privileged documents, HR departments processing personnel files, or healthcare providers redacting patient records, this architecture isn't just convenient — it's a compliance necessity.
For organizations handling sensitive documents at scale, SafeRedact provides batch AI redaction with this same zero-upload architecture — purpose-built for HIPAA, GDPR, and FOIA compliance teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the redaction permanent?
Yes. ModernPDF's redaction permanently removes the underlying text from the PDF. It's not a visual overlay that can be peeled off — the data is destroyed. No PDF tool can recover redacted content.
How is this different from drawing black boxes in a PDF editor?
Drawing a black rectangle in a PDF editor creates a visual overlay, but the original text remains in the file's data. Anyone can remove the box or select and copy the text underneath. True redaction removes the text from the PDF's data structure entirely.
Does the AI catch everything?
AI detection is highly accurate for common PII patterns (SSNs, phone numbers, emails, addresses). It may miss non-standard formats or context-dependent sensitive information. Always review the document manually after AI detection — the AI is an assistant, not a replacement for human review.
Can I redact scanned PDFs?
For scanned PDFs, you'll need to run OCR first to create a text layer, then apply redaction. Without OCR, the document is just an image and there's no text to detect or redact.
Is redaction a free feature?
Yes. The redact tool — including AI PII detection — is available on the free tier with 3 uses per day. Pro unlocks unlimited redactions.